Multiple Monitor setup

[Bugsysiegals]

I work in technology as a 'technical architect', meaning I do a lot of diagramming, documenting, planning, online workshops, and some coding.

I use a 13" macbook pro for all of these tasks and don't have any external monitors set up.  Now I'm wondering whether there might be some benefits to having more than one.

Reading this discussion, I am wondering what the needs are that drive having so much display real estate.  Is it about viewing items in a larger screen?  Or having more things available to view without leaving the context of the 'main' work item?  Or having a 'dashboard' view of all applications at one time?

Does having this much stuff on multiple screens at one time improve the work experience?  I would be very concerned about the costs of context switching, if I could always see someone messaging me in slack or always know when a client sends me an email. I think this would be highly individualized in terms of workflow, but often it seems beneficial to turn off as much as possible and focus on the tasks at hand without interruptions or distractions. 

To echo [member=61254]mino[/member] , I think it would be good to approach is to consider what is really needed and what is going to be most ergonomic in terms of what someone can comfortably visually track.

There's definitely enough screen to split applications side-by-side with a large monitor; however, this isn't something I do often, other than comparing code.  For me, while I have a horizontal scroll wheel on my mouse, I simply prefer to avoid it whenever possible and it's easier when you can see everything you need all at once. 

Wider monitors allow me to see many more columns of spreadsheet data which makes it easier and faster to digest and compare.  They allow me to most times see very long lines of complex coding statements and to even compare 2 different versions of code side-by-side with a diff program like WinMerge without much if any horizontal scrolling necessary.

And regardless of size, I share and present information with my colleagues.  Multiple monitors means I can move everything I'm working on to my 2nd monitor, move what I want to share to the primary monitor, and share without people accidently seeing any sensitive information or my FOG browser window. 

 

[squall_line]

Multiple monitors means I can move everything I'm working on to my 2nd monitor, move what I want to share to the primary monitor, and share without people accidently seeing any sensitive information or my FOG browser window. 

"Share entire screen" can be a pretty eye-opening look into someone's off-line life.  [eek] I prefer "share app" or "share individual tab" whenever possible, since I tend to trigger people when they see how many open windows and tabs I have on my screen.

 

[Bugsysiegals]

"Share entire screen" can be a pretty eye-opening look into someone's off-line life.  [eek] I prefer "share app" or "share individual tab" whenever possible, since I tend to trigger people when they see how many open windows and tabs I have on my screen.

I wasn't aware of this!  I seen multiple things you could share but just jumped straight to Desktop 1.  I just noticed Desktop 1 and individual windows open on Desktop 1 as well as Desktop 2 and each of its open windows! 

I'd learned to keep my bookmarks in folders and open a new tab on each Chrome window, if I have multiple open, but there've been a few times I opened the window and people see the tabs with descriptions of what I was shopping on Amazon/eBay, YouTube video I had paused, etc.  Thanks for sharing this!

 

[DashZero]

I would buy a $299 Samsung 43” 4K tv.  You get 3840 wide by 2160. I use this with a MacBook Air 2020 M1.  Try it out and if you don’t like it then look at smaller options.

With the correct $125 adaptor I can run two one at 60 hz and one at 30hz with the entry level MacBook Air 2020 M1.

 

[mino]

I would buy a $299 Samsung 43” 4K tv.  You get 3840 wide by 2160. I use this with a MacBook Air 2020 M1.  Try it out and if you don’t like it then look at smaller options.

With the correct $125 adaptor I can run two one at 60 hz and one at 30hz with the entry level MacBook Air 2020 M1.

Be careful with TV screens.

Some may be OK, but most are essentially unusable as computer monitors. At a minimum, ability to disable color/picture post-processing is an absolute must if using a TV. And those which are cheap often do not have it (or it is only partial).

IF you want TV-big, thing 55"/65", then look for the "conference room monitors" which have PC-use aligned technology and software and are much more suitable for computer use. Otherwise are are good screens to be had for PCs in the 40" space.

They cost more than the TV versions but that is because the panels suited for PC use are more expensive.

/Above holds when using a TV on a desk, if planned 5' and more away, then a TV which is unusable on a desk gets to its sweet spot and works wonderful./

 

[HelgaMULLER]

I have a Samsung 49" curved monitor for my work office and love it.
https://www.samsung.com/us/computing/monitors/gaming/49--chg90-qled-gaming-monitor-lc49hg90dmnxza/

Wow nice one I'd also recommendhttps://www.samsung.com/us/computin...5hz-1ms-curved-gaming-monitor-ls32bg752nnxgo/