4 ms·

I use one screen, and it's too large. I don't understand why anyone would want two screens, let alone eight. I find having anything onscreen but my code and off

I use one screen, and it's too large. I don't understand why anyone would want two screens, let alone eight. I find having anything onscreen but my code and offline documentation (i.e., not in a web browser) incredibly distracting. What in the world do you put on those other seven screens?

Dylan16807 8y ago
My IDE has enough going on to dedicate an entire HD screen to it. Then I need more room for documentation, and showing the app for debugging. Even if I'm blocking out the rest of the world that's at least two screens full. > offline documentation (i.e., not in a web browser) This deeply confuses me. Why does it matter if the documentation is in a browser or not?
- colanderman 8y ago
  I am four keystrokes away from Hacker News if I have a web browser on my screen.
  - ericd 8y ago
    I wrote a simple script for a cronjob that nukes HN and a bunch of other sites via my hosts file during work hours, and removes them from the hosts file outside of work hours. Highly recommended.
  - Dylan16807 8y ago
    So 4 instead of 6? Either way is seconds.
    - colanderman 8y ago
      Temptations in visual view are distracting. Out of sight, out of mind.
      - Dylan16807 8y ago
        "in visual view" being the url bar?
        colanderman 8y ago
        Tab bar, moreso. Not to mention distracting ads, and the need to use Google to search many sites. man and info come distraction-free out of the box.
  - tigershark 8y ago
    I am one touch away from hacker news on my home button on the phone.. What I’m missing???
    - colanderman 8y ago
      My phone is in my pocket, not underneath my fingertips. Muscle memory is a powerful thing.
kowdermeister 8y ago
I wanted 2, but I went for a 32 inch 4k LG. Beast for productivity. In fact I still use the laptop screen for terminals.
tigershark 8y ago
Email, log files, pull requests, two instances of visual studio for different projects and one or two of IntelliJ idea for other projects. Obviously I switch the other c# and java projects in the background unless it is needed to debug them all together. Have you ever worked with at least one team using two different languages while looking at the production logs at the same time? Imagine it multiplied by two and you have your answer.
- colanderman 8y ago
  I think we have the same amount and kinds of "stuff" open, but where we differ is I place things on virtual desktops (organized by a tiling window manager), of which I have between 4 and 8 at any given time. (Typically: web, coding, VMs, one or more bug logs, one or more back-burner projects.) I can't think of a situation where I'd need to focus on all the things you list simultaneously – even just having e-mail on the screen while I'm trying to code is distracting – so I'd rather have them hidden. Sure, I'll have a couple code windows and documentation or logs open, but that fits with room to spare on a single monitor.

Dylan16807 8y ago

My IDE has enough going on to dedicate an entire HD screen to it. Then I need more room for documentation, and showing the app for debugging. Even if I'm blocking out the rest of the world that's at least two screens full. > offline documentation (i.e., not in a web browser) This deeply confuses me. Why does it matter if the documentation is in a browser or not?

colanderman 8y ago
I am four keystrokes away from Hacker News if I have a web browser on my screen.
- ericd 8y ago
  I wrote a simple script for a cronjob that nukes HN and a bunch of other sites via my hosts file during work hours, and removes them from the hosts file outside of work hours. Highly recommended.
- Dylan16807 8y ago
  So 4 instead of 6? Either way is seconds.
  - colanderman 8y ago
    Temptations in visual view are distracting. Out of sight, out of mind.
    - Dylan16807 8y ago
      "in visual view" being the url bar?
      - colanderman 8y ago
        Tab bar, moreso. Not to mention distracting ads, and the need to use Google to search many sites. man and info come distraction-free out of the box.
- tigershark 8y ago
  I am one touch away from hacker news on my home button on the phone.. What I’m missing???
  - colanderman 8y ago
    My phone is in my pocket, not underneath my fingertips. Muscle memory is a powerful thing.

kowdermeister 8y ago

I wanted 2, but I went for a 32 inch 4k LG. Beast for productivity. In fact I still use the laptop screen for terminals.

tigershark 8y ago

Email, log files, pull requests, two instances of visual studio for different projects and one or two of IntelliJ idea for other projects. Obviously I switch the other c# and java projects in the background unless it is needed to debug them all together. Have you ever worked with at least one team using two different languages while looking at the production logs at the same time? Imagine it multiplied by two and you have your answer.

colanderman 8y ago
I think we have the same amount and kinds of "stuff" open, but where we differ is I place things on virtual desktops (organized by a tiling window manager), of which I have between 4 and 8 at any given time. (Typically: web, coding, VMs, one or more bug logs, one or more back-burner projects.) I can't think of a situation where I'd need to focus on all the things you list simultaneously – even just having e-mail on the screen while I'm trying to code is distracting – so I'd rather have them hidden. Sure, I'll have a couple code windows and documentation or logs open, but that fits with room to spare on a single monitor.