It seems that the more silly these posts become “more is more”, “what’s wrong with turkey?”, the more comments are posted.
It appears that you have hit the sweet-spot of “writing down” to the masses…
Sorry but, if I have virtual desktops instead of 2 monitors, I can’t look at a monitor a document and then type to the other simultaneously. Thats it, also Windows has some applications for virtual desktops, I used VirtuaWin, it gives you 4 monitors and its very simple without idiot effects and more 
(I’m a Linux User anyway too :P)
Greetings
I agree that a larger monitor and/or multiple monitors will make you more productive. So much so that I too wrote about it a while back on my blog at: http://www.followsteph.com/2006/12/19/a-large-monitor-is-actually-cheaper-than-a-small-monitor/
Something to note, I also included a few screenshots of my work environment at different resolutions, and it’s clear that the larger screen resolution has an advantage over the smaller ones.
But what’s even more interesting, in terms of economics, especially considering the price of monitors today, there’s no reason to skimp out on a smaller monitor. The price difference can be quickly be made up with even just a 5% productivity gain!!!
Multiple monitors are great but when combined with remote desktop they make a massive difference
2 screens, 2 OS, 1 set of input devices
Remote desktop is so responsive these days that this setup effectively doubles your CPU power and increases productivity even further than the standard 2 monitor 1 OS setup
Quote wackadoo : "It seems that the more silly these posts become “more is more” … the more comments are posted.
It appears that you have hit the sweet-spot of “writing down” to the masses…"
Your comment is even more silly and pointless! I guess you were attempting to be ironic?
If you dont like the posts, stop reading em and go somewhere else with your lame comments
I am using Yod’m 3D software on a single monitor. Yod’m 3D is a freeware application that virtually adds 3 more desktops to Windows and you can switch between desktops by keyboard. It improves my efficiency.
I love a three screen setup. It increassed my productivity by 3 times.
My setup: 1 screen for Flash, 1 screen for Dreamweaver, 1 Screen for Photoshop.
The idle webdeveloper workstation. I invested in the third graphich card setup and return of investment and profit was only onemonth. from the normal 3 website a month im now buidling 4 to 5 a month.
Go for it.
Absolutely agree with multiple monitors being critical for developers. What engineer spends all their time looking at a single window of code?
Back when I had only one monitor, I found myself often printing out things like javadocs and help files and even full source code files so I could reference them “side by side” with what I was working on on the screen. The eco-nazis above should take note here: I’m quite positive my second LCD uses less energy and resources than I was blowing on the printer, ink, and paper before!
I also prefer two monitors to one large monitor. It’s not about the pixels or even the super-widescreen aspect ratio (both my monitors are widescreen, so maybe side by side they are super-duper-widescreen?), although both of those are good. It gives me two natural “compartments”, where reference materials and debugging instances can go on one monitor and the stuff I’m editing goes in the other.
As for matching size/etc: My first screen is a laptop screen, so that’s right out. Still, I set it next to my standalone monitor in the same place (to the left and lower on the desk) every time, so the OS knows that when I hook up the standalone monitor it’s desktop lies to the right and slightly offset above. Makes for a seamless experience, although the dot pitch differences and especially the screen brightness differences can be somewhat jarring.
As we’ve seen in the comments, everyone has their own preferences, and that’s great.
What’s not being said is that whether your or not your boss will let you have the setup you want (without flinching) tells you a lot about your boss and company.
Not too long ago I did some internal web design consulting at a huge entertainment company in LA. Fortunately I made using a Mac “because it can test all browsers” a requirement of my taking the position and I ended up with a 24" iMac. The highly paid Java programmers were all stuck with those sad little sub-desktops that never ship with enough memory to run an IDE, and 17" inch monitors!
Naturally the project was a total nightmare with schedules pulled out of mangers butts, etc. etc…
And for the record, I prefer a single large monitor because I can’t stand bezels. It’s a designer thing, bezels might be a plus for hard core programmers. Here’s hoping we get wraparound monitors someday soon.
I joined the multi-monitor club not too long ago, and I have to say, switching between two windows has all but disappeared.
I just wish monitors didn’t have so much side-bezel. I would love to have 4 monitors joined in a grid without visible seams.
Here’s a bit of my QUAD monitor eye candy:
http://www.mikedixononline.com/my-home-office/
I’ll Second Ultramon, it’s a great addition to multiple monitors in windows because its so helpful to actually have the task bar fill up with the windows that are actually on that monitor instead of them all showing up in the one bar (especially when you have firefox all over.)
I will have to agree with both on the virtual desktop issue. It is not a 100% replacement for multiple monitors but I have Ubuntu Gutsy on my laptop and have the 2x4 wall of desktops that I can quickly flip around really helps to ease the pain of not having my normal 4 monitors. Also allowing my chat box to follow me between desktops is a huge help while I leave email and RSS feeds on separate desktops to check when I feel like it.
Another multi monitor program I would want to suggest is synergy
http://sourceforge.net/projects/synergy2/
I use this at home for my dual display, one being linux and the other windows and is a giant help. It’s as good as having them as one system because I can copy and paste between the 2 (though sometimes that can bug out counting on the program in linux I am pasting to.) The only real thing I end up missing is dragging an app between them. It’s a great setup for testing between the 2 and for hen I have to run something that only runs on one platform or the other.
Jeff, you said:
“Personally, I’d be ecstatic if I never had to size, position, or arrange another damn window for the rest of my life.”
The problem with most window managers (including the MS Windows’ one, or the Linux most popular ones like Gnome and KDE) is that they are not doing their job. If it’s called Window Manager it should MANAGE the damn windows. Each time you move or resize a window, you are doing work that should belong to the Window Manager.
You should consider using a so-called “tiled window manager”. A tiled window manager is one that never allows windows to overlap, but manages them automatically in order to use 100% of your screen space. If you open a new window, e.g., the other windows will rearrange to make room for the new one.
Since I use a tiled window manager, I never have to move or resize windows. It’d be your dream. Google for “tiled window managers” for more information.
As a developer, I find a two monitor setup a requirement of the job. I use one as my main work area and the other for reference. I’ve tried just having a single wide screen LCD, but there was no good way to have the reference item and IDE sitting side-by-side nicely. There just wasn’t enough screen real estate. Now I have a wide screen and a 4:3 sitting side-by-side.
BTW, I’m a HUGE fan of the Kensington Expert Mouse (as shown in the picture). Anyone who suffers from carpal tunnel or is afraid that they might suffer from it in the future should give the Expert Mouse a look.
I find it difficult to quantify how much more I do with two monitors. I have two 22" monitors. But apart from productivity, it is much more enjoyable, so maybe I am inclined to stay here longer.
Sometimes I have documents related to what I am working on open on my laptop so that it becomes, in effect a third monitor.
I hate developing on a single monitor after having used two or three.
Do you actually work on all three monitors? I’d guess you work on one, the center one, and use the others to read docs and surf for info/other stuff, ie replacing some docs you’d be having next to the keyboard. That’s how I’d do it. Then there is another thought that pops up…heared long ago that much of the “time” people are trying to optimize away is time where the subconscious gets to come up to pace resulting in feeling more stressed. Today I’m running as much as possible set to default, working as a consultant and jumping between many different computers makes it hard to be picky about features.
I have a 3 moniotr setup, however I only use the third monitor for programs that I only use once or twice a day. The other two monitors are used for 99% of my work. My wife is a phsyio and she reckons its good for me to move my head a few times a minute between the two monitors…
So can you add the point “Are 2+ monitors healthy or not…”
I used to have three screen then i became a dba. Initially i had one screen. Geez was that awful. You go back the the scrolling the page and minimizing windows. Now i have two screens, which really do help as i can compare two applications side to side. Luv it. if i can go back to three, i would do that in a heart beat. I guess it all depends on your job or task that you are planning to accomplish.
Another tip for multi-display setup this time without buying additional monitor(s): If you have 2 or more computers/laptops you can use MaxiVista (http://www.maxivista.com) to display-expand one of them to all other machine’s monitors. That’s how e.g. you can recycle your old slow laptop to become extra monitor. No affiliation. Cheers.
Jeff,
When I saw the new University of Utah study, I was thinking the same thing – it would be great to have a list of all these studies in one place. So, thanks!
I’m not sure it’s accurate to say that I “came away convinced.” Most headlines say something like “Multiple Monitors Yield 50% Productivity Increase”, and my conclusion was that it’s only true if you spend your entire day cutting and pasting cells in a spreadsheet. For programmers, I think that the benefits are going to be pretty minimal (but still there).