I wasn't meaning to differentiate between those two approaches. The original complaint seemed to be that having too many windows visible was leading to distract

I wasn't meaning to differentiate between those two approaches. The original complaint seemed to be that having too many windows visible was leading to distraction. Honestly I found that claim perplexing. If it was only when they were spread across multiple physical monitors (as opposed to a single very large one) that would be even stranger to me. At the end of the day though I admit that it comes down to whatever works for the individual to maximize their effectiveness.