With a laptop, an extra screen does seem to help somewhat in situations like you describe, I agree. That's because a laptop screen isn't quite big enough to bo

With a laptop, an extra screen does seem to help somewhat in situations like you describe, I agree. That's because a laptop screen isn't quite big enough to bother with tiling your windows. If I had a laptop with a 20" display, maybe a touch bigger, it would be plenty for 95% of my development needs. But since those don't exist, my general preference is an available external screen that I can use if needed. I like to couch/chair code a lot with my legs up, so I don't like to rely on an external monitor, so I try not to get used to one full time.