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Multiple Displays on a Mac Sucks

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Re: Multiple Displays on a Mac Sucks

#261

Post by NoMoreNicksLeft »

lordnacho wrote: post #15

I don't get why the screens sometimes swap around. It makes no sense to me that sometimes when I log in, my extra screens are switched and I have to move all the contents. The machine has the serial numbers of the screens, and it knows what ports they are connected to. Why can they not just use that information to remember where stuff is supposed to be? The other thing that annoys me is that it changes the background…

I have two monitors plugged into some generic docking station, and I keep the lid open below those.

Found this from a post here on HN a few weeks ago, but apparently manufacturers of monitors don't bother to give the monitors unique machine ids, except in batches. Since everyone's two monitors are almost always from the same batch, they can't be told apart on a hardware level. I thought I had struck paydirt in that HN post (a tool that helped with this), but since the two monitors of mine aren't plugged directly into the Mac, the tool can't fix it for me. It would have to somehow work on the level of the docking station. If I didn't have bad luck, wouldn't have any at all?

But it's so much worse than you describe. In theory, I should be able to hit F3, see the little "desktops" at the top, and drag the one from the left monitor over to the right, and then vice versa. But somehow, there's always one virtual desktop that can't be dragged in this manner, and it's always the one with the applications.

Re: Multiple Displays on a Mac Sucks

#262

Post by ryandrake »

AceJohnny2 wrote: post #29

> The Mac operating system still Just. Fucking. Sucks. at remembering where windows were, when relaunching apps. I agree and it's confounding. For me it's even worse: when plugging back into my home office after some work on the road, it doesn't remember the window positions associated with that setup, and I have to reorganize my dozens of windows away from the laptop screen again. I've solved this through a 3rd-part…

I've been running a Mac three display system for 5+ years now, maybe even longer. A 27" iMac with two 27" Thunderbolt displays on each side. It mostly works well... I haven't really seen (or been bothered by) most of the problems that OP complains about. The only thing is these thunderbolt displays are getting pretty old, and Apple isn't making any more similar displays in this category. I've already replaced the guts of both of them as parts have failed, and one of them has a persistent problem with the thunderbolt cable, to the point where I had to use a separate cable rather than the built-in one.

I admit I do get annoyed that even in a mostly unchanging environment (same monitors plugged into the same ports forever), macOS forgets where windows are supposed to go.

Another thing is the OS's handling of plug in events. When you have just one monitor on and plug in another one, the main monitor blanks briefly, then both monitors turn on and you're good to go. Not too bad. But when you have two monitors on, and you plug in a third, it first blanks the secondary monitor, that comes back on, then it blanks both the secondary and main monitor, then they both come back on, and then the new monitor turns on. Super irritating.

Re: Multiple Displays on a Mac Sucks

#263

Post by carimura »

ya it's been mentioned but I just go through a "window ritual" with Rectangle every time I open up. I've never thought it was a big deal... until now. dang you all. now I want instant window placement every time.

Re: Multiple Displays on a Mac Sucks

#264

Post by rifty »

nprateem wrote: post #205

Macs have numerous weird issues that seem to be beyond Apple to fix. My pet hate is that there's no easy way to just create a new file in Finder. On any sane operating system you'd just right-click and select "create new text file", etc and it'd create one. Macs give you nothing. And that's before we get into WTF is going on when you hold shift and the cursor keys in a text editor. Sometimes it selects forwards like…

If you don’t want to use a finder replacement app which would add the extra right click functionality like creating a text file, there are finder extensions/plugins.

There’s one called FinderUtilities[1] which does specifically what you want.

There’s also more featureful extensions like Power Menu[2] as well.

1. https://github.com/suolapeikko/FinderUtilities

2. https://fiplab.com/apps/power-menu-for-mac

Re: Multiple Displays on a Mac Sucks

#265

Post by hobs »

gmac wrote: post #94

I think multiple display support has gone backwards on the Mac, in a way that’s representative of the platform and rather dispiriting. I remember 20 years ago a colleague pointing out that Apple had put a lot of work in to allow windows to seamlessly cross different monitors, even if the PPI and colour depth were different. At some point between then and now, they ripped that out: windows are now only ever shown on o…

I still will never get over spaces going from vertical and horizontal to just horizontal, really shitty in comparison.

Re: Multiple Displays on a Mac Sucks

#266

Post by kruador »

Retric wrote: post #168
drekipus wrote: post #146

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

The Mac could originally only run one major application at a time - although you did have 'desk accessories'. Andy Hertzfeld relatively soon wrote 'Switcher', a hack to allow multiple applications, which was released some time in early 1985. That wasn't virtual memory, it was real physical memory. The Mac wouldn't officially get virtual memory until System 7.

A more official solution wouldn't come until MultiFinder in 1987, and that was originally limited to one foreground and one background application. Wikipedia says:

"When an application is activated, all of its windows are brought forward as a single layer. This approach is necessary for backward compatibility with many of the windowing data structures that were already documented."

"With the release of System 7 [in 1991], the MultiFinder extension was integrated with the operating system, and it remains so in Mac OS 8 and Mac OS 9. However, the integration into the OS does nothing to fix MultiFinder's inherent idiosyncrasies and disadvantages."

By the time that OS X came out in 2001, the menu bar being at the top of the screen, and switching with the current app, was fully entrenched. After all, OS X initially had no native apps, still emulating the old OS 9 environment, and Carbon (essentially recompiling a "classic" Mac OS 9 app with relatively minor changes) would be the dominant API for some time too. Indeed Carbon wasn't removed until macOS 10.15 Catalina in late 2019.

Re: Multiple Displays on a Mac Sucks

#267

Post by lghh »

baq wrote: post #210
whynotminot wrote: post #203

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you ever consider there might be something wrong with your machine or some piece of software you’ve installed? Or do you think the rest of the world that has heaped praise on the Apple Silicon Macs has missed something you’ve seen?

I blame this on trying to use non-Apple hardware with the MacBook. I'm sure if I had an Apple Display instead of a g-sync 165Hz-capable monitor and closed the lid when hooked up everything would be... perhaps not fine, but good enough. The macbook is amazing when considered in isolation. Trying to use it in a workstation setting is definitely 'holding it wrong', which drives me nuts. Wasted potential and definitely u…

I have a LG 38WN95C (3480x1600, 144hz, thunderbolt 3) monitor that's plugged into my Macbook Pro (M1 Pro _I think_, I'm not home to doulble check). The laptop is in clamshell and plugged in via Thunderbolt 3. IIRC, I had to turn the refresh rate down to 120hz, but otherwise it works well. The only hiccup is that if I unplug it, use it for a bit, and plug it back in I have to open the lid one time after plugging it in so it can realize it's plugged in to a display.

I have a M3 Pro MacBook Pro for work that I also swap between on the display using the single cable that I remove from one to plug into the other. The laptop travels with me to work where it plugs into a 16:9 4k 60hz monitor while it's open. I have the same clamshell issue as my personal laptop where I have to open it once after plugging it in, but otherwise it works pretty well.

I do however have to do some workspace rearranging when I go from clamshell->ultrawide to my work setup of open lid->16:9 monitor. But that's no a huge deal since I'm going from 1 screen to 2 screens.

Re: Multiple Displays on a Mac Sucks

#268

Post by pier25 »

AceJohnny2 wrote: post #29

> The Mac operating system still Just. Fucking. Sucks. at remembering where windows were, when relaunching apps. I agree and it's confounding. For me it's even worse: when plugging back into my home office after some work on the road, it doesn't remember the window positions associated with that setup, and I have to reorganize my dozens of windows away from the laptop screen again. I've solved this through a 3rd-part…

I haven't had any issues in Ventura with window positions when plugging and unplugging the external monitor with my MBP M2.

Re: Multiple Displays on a Mac Sucks

#269

Post by manacit »

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.

I was going to say the same thing as well, I've used macOS for over a decade on-and-off with multiple monitors and Spectacle and now Rectangle are essential. I even use them when I'm just using my laptop screen.
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