The wonder of dual screens

[samhs]

Something went wrong with my viewsonic monitor - if you check back to previous posts, this has happened to me previously (but the other monitor worryingly). So, fortunately, I bought into the "P" range which means I get a 3 year next business day replacement. Unfortunately, in this case the next business day actually ended up being almost 2 weeks. As a result, tonight - first time of having dual screen monitors working for 2 weeks - much appreciation of how liberating it is on the desktop space front.

I can't really complain about Viewsonic - they've been good both times I've had an issue, and I could live with only one monitor obviously, but there you are - thought I'd share. Still happily recommend viewsonic partially as a result of the above.

[Tanthalas]

Got to agree with you on multiple monitors.  Having the extra screen space is really handy.  When I'm coding, I can have my IDE on one, its associated panels on another (project structure, Ant build, debug, etc), and any required references, e-mail etc on a third.  I'd never go back.  It's so much easier than flicking from one to the other.  When I try to work on a single monitor now it feels constricting.

[Jeewhizz]

I used to use 2 dual viewsonic VA1912W. However, once I got the mac, I opted for a 23" cinema display which is nice and wide, and can accomodate everything I need on one screen.

Once side by side, the viewsonic got used less and less. I think one part of this was due to the difference physically - i.e. they weren't exactly level, the colours never matched etc. Also, I quite enjoy having open space on my desk, rather than lots of screens...

I now only use one screen, and have no regrets. I guess I'm proof that you can do dual screen, and still go back to one!

[Tanthalas]

I now only use one screen, and have no regrets. I guess I'm proof that you can do dual screen, and still go back to one!

So long as that one screen is really big.

[Jeewhizz]

You knows it

[MattC]

Dual screens are ultra handy (Or a fat single screen).

Like you Sam I would feel lost with only one screen to do my work on.

[keri]

I find it very hard using a single screen no matter how big it is, I have dual screen at home and in work, luckily my boss sees the benefit and increase in productivity so every member of staff has 2x19" TFTs, apart from one director who has 3 and one guy with bad eye sight who gets 2x25" widescreen monitors.

[Matt]

My new job has 2 x 19" dells, better then my one 19" and one 17"ws at the current place!!

[slaughteredlamb]

Like Jee I used to use dual screens on my PC. I then went and bought a Mac (20" iMac which was only 1" bigger than my old PC screens) and connected a second monitor to it.

After 3 months I realised that I had only switched on the 2nd monitor once and that was to test it was working, so I got rid of it. Why don't I need a 2nd monitor now?

I put it down to three reasons:

1. Screen resolution. My old PC ran at 1024x768 whereas my Mac now runs at something like 1680x1100 (can't remember the exact figure off the top of my head). The substantially increased resolution gives quite a bit more room on the monitor

2. Mac programs have transparent backgrounds. On a PC you launch Word and it fills the screen, even if the document doesnt the grey application background will, yeah you can minimize the window but it still takes up a big chunk of your screen. On a Mac you launch Word and there is your document floating in the center of your screen but you can still see your desktop, and any other programs you are using, underneath. Now not all Mac programs have a transparent background which then leads me on to reason 3.

3. Expose & Spaces. With Expose I can quickly jump to any open document or program at the touch of a button. With Spaces I can create multiple spaces with certain programs running in them and jump between them at a touch of a button.

I couldn't use my old PC without two monitors, I don't need more than one monitor with my Mac.

[Tanthalas]

I've used dual screen for years, and TBH I probably would if I was on a WonderMac.  I always have a gazillion windows open, and having 3 monitors is just fscking handy. Right this second, doing nothing more interesting than PHP coding, my taskbar contains Thunderbird, Firefox, ActiveSync, Araneae, Explorer, CuteFTP, and...er...Steam.   E-mail's on the left, code's in the centre and browser's on the right.  Sorted. On one monitor I'd be flicking back and forth constantly.  Transparencies are all well and good, but trying to read the window behind through the window in front is going to be a challenge. :p

That said, I have recently added WinFlip to my XP installation, which gives you the 3D slidey-groovy WIN+TAB switchy thing from Vista.  Only it runs very very fast and takes up just a few KB of memory. It's great for seeing what I've got open where, and getting to it quickly.  Works with mouse gestures too.  Microsoft, take note - THAT is how you do it.

[ih8mondays]

I have to agree - I use three monitors at work (not very neat though, two are "rescued" monitors, rather than new)!

One tends to be for reference material and file browsers, the middle for email and coding, the right for previews and database.

I like things full screened, so prefer more monitors, rather than having to resize things to fit on larger monitors. Not sure I could go back to one monitor.

[Jeep Stone]

I couldn't do the single monitor thing any more. Especially when coding CSS/PHP/HTML, having code on one and webpage on the other is so nice. Same with Photoshop. Toolbars on one, image on the other.