4 ms·

I prefer a single monitor not just because it's more convenient, but because it really does improve focus. My screen represents my train of thought. I don't hav

by tboyd47 10y ago

I prefer a single monitor not just because it's more convenient, but because it really does improve focus. My screen represents my train of thought. I don't have 3 applications and 4+ files splattered in front of me. I have a single application, with no more than 2 files, that represents exactly where I am at that moment in my thinking. And I move from screen to screen fluidly with Spaces. I also use a large font size so I don't see more than 40 LOC on the screen at a time. This is not some sort of self-imposed hipster handicap like a fixed gear bicycle- it really does feel more comfortable. I get so frustrated looking at coworkers' screens with 4+ files open, all in tiny text. I think, how can they work like that? No wonder that when someone interrupts them they lose all context.

pavel_lishin 10y ago
> And I move from screen to screen fluidly with Spaces. > I get so frustrated looking at coworkers' screens with 4+ files open, all in tiny text. I think, how can they work like that? That's what I think when I see someone working like you, flipping through multiple spaces, scrolling up and down files. To me, spaces add more overhead - I have to remember in which space various running applications or their windows are open. And as far as 40 lines per screen, I often have to track through multiple files to figure out how things fit together - there are times when I've got IntelliJ split into three columns as I'm trying to follow some logic. Maybe this indicates that we've just abstracted things poorly, but it's hard to see how things could be significantly simplified.
- tboyd47 10y ago
  I just have three Spaces at a given time: browsing is #1, chat is #2, code is #3. VMs are optional #4. But yeah, having to trace through abstraction layers is one area where my system does break down. My own code has gotten lighter and lighter on abstractions as the years have gone by, while others' code seems to grow heavier and heavier. Maybe it's my workflow influencing my coding style.
- coldtea 10y ago
  >That's what I think when I see someone working like you, flipping through multiple spaces, scrolling up and down files. To me, spaces add more overhead - I have to remember in which space various running applications or their windows are open. Not if you always keep the same apps in the same place in spaces (I keep: browser: #1, terminal #2, editor: #3).

by tboyd47 10y ago

pavel_lishin 10y ago

> And I move from screen to screen fluidly with Spaces. > I get so frustrated looking at coworkers' screens with 4+ files open, all in tiny text. I think, how can they work like that? That's what I think when I see someone working like you, flipping through multiple spaces, scrolling up and down files. To me, spaces add more overhead - I have to remember in which space various running applications or their windows are open. And as far as 40 lines per screen, I often have to track through multiple files to figure out how things fit together - there are times when I've got IntelliJ split into three columns as I'm trying to follow some logic. Maybe this indicates that we've just abstracted things poorly, but it's hard to see how things could be significantly simplified.

tboyd47 10y ago
I just have three Spaces at a given time: browsing is #1, chat is #2, code is #3. VMs are optional #4. But yeah, having to trace through abstraction layers is one area where my system does break down. My own code has gotten lighter and lighter on abstractions as the years have gone by, while others' code seems to grow heavier and heavier. Maybe it's my workflow influencing my coding style.
coldtea 10y ago
>That's what I think when I see someone working like you, flipping through multiple spaces, scrolling up and down files. To me, spaces add more overhead - I have to remember in which space various running applications or their windows are open. Not if you always keep the same apps in the same place in spaces (I keep: browser: #1, terminal #2, editor: #3).