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Multiple Displays on a Mac Sucks

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Re: Multiple Displays on a Mac Sucks

#161

Post by aden1ne »

Karupan wrote: post #120
aden1ne wrote: post #112

My main issue with multiple displays on Mac is that the dock sometimes suddenly switches display. Sometimes this doesn't happen for weeks, other times it happens multiple times a day. When this happens, it tends to move the dock from the internal display to the external display, and the existing window on the external display suddenly gets smaller. The only resolution I've found when this occurs is unplugging and re-…

Not sure if it’s a bug with your specific setup, but scrolling vertically in a straight line from the centre of the screen all the way to the bottom will make the dock switch to that monitor.

Holy cow, that's so unintuitive.

Re: Multiple Displays on a Mac Sucks

#162

Post by monsieurbanana »

stevage wrote: post #158
brtkdotse wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Three times I tried switching from Windows to Mac and each time I bounced because of how janky basic window ergonomics were. I shouldn't have to buy single-dollar-programs to fix core OS functionality.

Huh. After years of mar I tried to go back to windows. I did it for 2 years but I'm so much happier on Mac again. I did kind of like the windows thg of dragging a window to the top to maximise, but that stuff is easy to replace with an app or two. General OS slowness and instability and clunky design not so much.

> General OS slowness and instability and clunky design not so much.

I can't tell whether you're talking about Windows or Mac here

Re: Multiple Displays on a Mac Sucks

#164

Post by ydant »

tomduncalf wrote: post #127
otikik wrote: post #47

This person needs rectangle at least. https://rectangleapp.com/ It will not solve all the problems, but at least it will allow for fast key-based window movement instead of slow drag-and dropping with the mouse.

Yeah this is essential. Personally I use: - Ctrl + Opt + Cmd + Left/Right Arrow to snap window to left/right half of the screen - Ctrl + Opt + Cmd + Up Arrow to resize window to fill the screen - Ctrl + Opt + Cmd + C to move window between monitors (centered on the next monitor) I don't need any other shortcuts, this is enough to be able to effectively work with two displays for me.

Mine (with Hammerspoon) are:

- Left half / right half - full vertical

- Move to monitor 1 or 2

- Bottom half / top half - full width

- Center 2/3 wide, full vertical (for the ultra-wide screen and reading)

Also have shortcuts for launching or switching to certain key applications (Firefox, IntelliJ, Terminal).

These + normal window switching keybinds are so integral to my workflow I definitely feel out of sorts if using a machine they aren't on.

Re: Multiple Displays on a Mac Sucks

#165

Post by parker-3461 »

OJFord wrote: post #110
parker-3461 wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m surprised there isn’t much discussion on the amazing ecosystem of tiling window managers in this whole thread. When I was still using macOS one to two years ago, I was using yabai [1] and it was perfect [1] https://github.com/koekeishiya/yabai

Idk about 'perfect', it's still painful and you wish you were using Linux, but it makes it just about workable.

I’m working with Linux mainly these days, and I think the “pain” for me usually is just getting the initial config right, and learning to live with the quirks on the specific platform.

Of course nothing is truly perfect, but I would say that after the initial learning curve, I had really pleasant and productive time with yabai.

Re: Multiple Displays on a Mac Sucks

#167

Post by aden1ne »

da768 wrote: post #122
aden1ne wrote: post #112

My main issue with multiple displays on Mac is that the dock sometimes suddenly switches display. Sometimes this doesn't happen for weeks, other times it happens multiple times a day. When this happens, it tends to move the dock from the internal display to the external display, and the existing window on the external display suddenly gets smaller. The only resolution I've found when this occurs is unplugging and re-…

The dock moves whenever your cursor spends too much time hitting the bottom of the screen

TIL

Re: Multiple Displays on a Mac Sucks

#168

Post by Retric »

drekipus wrote: post #146
Y-bar wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes I think it is, In Mac OS it has always been explicit that an application ≠ window (with only a few exceptions such as the calculator app). Closing an app window must not quit the application. This is reinforced by the menu bar which is always at the top of the screen rather than attached to an application window.

Why is that? I'm a gnome/Linux user who had to switch to Mac M3 for work. Macos feels.... Half baked. I don't understand why apps should run after I close the window. I'm also annoyed that I can't type the window I want when viewing all windows. If I open mission control, it takes 3 clicks on the dock to run the app. (Un-do mission control, focus the dock, run the app.) That being said, I do like stage manager, I try…

It’s an optimization from the early days where launching application was slow but task switching to an application in virtual memory was quick.

The benefits seem less obvious with modern hardware like SSD’s, but it is still a net benefit once you’re used to it.

Re: Multiple Displays on a Mac Sucks

#169

Post by subjectsigma »

The software is fine, I don’t understand the complaints. The fact that some M-series Macs have a hardware limitation that prevents you from using multiple displays is ludicrous and embarrassing. I begrudgingly had to change my setup around this

Re: Multiple Displays on a Mac Sucks

#170

Post by Y-bar »

drekipus wrote: post #146
Y-bar wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes I think it is, In Mac OS it has always been explicit that an application ≠ window (with only a few exceptions such as the calculator app). Closing an app window must not quit the application. This is reinforced by the menu bar which is always at the top of the screen rather than attached to an application window.

Why is that? I'm a gnome/Linux user who had to switch to Mac M3 for work. Macos feels.... Half baked. I don't understand why apps should run after I close the window. I'm also annoyed that I can't type the window I want when viewing all windows. If I open mission control, it takes 3 clicks on the dock to run the app. (Un-do mission control, focus the dock, run the app.) That being said, I do like stage manager, I try…

An app is not a document in Mac OS (and other operating systems). Therefore it is logical that closing the document will not quit the application. Treating all applications as document is a flawed model which often breaks down as is made obvious when opening multiple documents in a MDI system.

It's even traceable all the way back to the user interface research at Xerox which Apple took and went with because it worked so well. Researchers such as Donald Norman also concluded that MDI interface were much worse at common actions such as drag-and-drop and standardised interface controls.

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