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I use a 42" monitor and it's never worked as well as I wanted it to. I wanted to have 16 windows open at once so I could see all the spreadsheets, text files,

I use a 42" monitor and it's never worked as well as I wanted it to. I wanted to have 16 windows open at once so I could see all the spreadsheets, text files, folders, pictures relevant to the legal matters I was working on. The 3840 x 2160 pixels lets me do it, but there are drawbacks and limitations: 1. Only the windows in the center of the screen are easy to perceive. I have to turn my neck or my eyes to bring the other windows into my attention, or sit further away from the whole screen, as if I had a smaller monitor. 2. The Mac menu is all the way up the top left. That makes using any app in any window that isn't top left difficult because I have to keep sending the mouse away long distance. A friend got something instead which is better: Two very wide and not very tall monitors, which he arranges vertically stacked. What makes this so successful is that each monitor has its own menu. I wish I could accomplish the same thing by telling OSX to split the screen horizontally across the middle so I had two menu's too.

michaelbuckbee 5y ago
I'm using a 55" 4k Curved TV (which they've unfortunately stopped selling) and it really helps with the "only the center window is easy to perceive". I'd previously used a small 42" 4K TV that was flat and the only way I could really use the corner "windows" was when I was using it on my standing desk to I could lean left or right. The other thing that's absolutely essential for using these larger format monitors is window management software and in general a more keyboard/macros focused workflow.
- NathanielK 5y ago
  > The other thing that's absolutely essential for using these larger format monitors is window management software and in general a more keyboard/macros focused workflow. I've also found a few tweaks to make it much easier with clicking on tiny things far away with the mouse. The AltDrag[0] software on windows is godsend. Instead of trying to click menu bars, window edge, or other small targets, you just click anywhere on the window while holding alt. It's built into many linux DEs, but I'm glad to have it on windows too. Windows also has a (slightly odd) focus-follows-mouse setting built in. This is nice to have less random clicking on windows to bring to the foreground, but has a second, handier function. When you alt-tab to a window with it enabled, it also brings your cursor too the window. Means you never lose your cursor at the wrong end of the monitor(s) switching between windows. The last trick is probably the simplest, but makes the biggest improvement. I always set my cursor size to be very big so I can see it in my periphery. Any specific changes you've found useful with your setup? [0] https://stefansundin.github.io/altdrag/ https://stefansundin.github.io/altdrag/
  - michaelbuckbee 5y ago
    I really found Divvy for Window Management to be great. A lot of the other window managers seemed really fixed in what they could set where Divvy let you build your own grid and boxes. https://mizage.com/divvy/ https://mizage.com/divvy/
dharmaturtle 5y ago
I want to emphasize the other comment: > The other thing that's absolutely essential for using these larger format monitors is window management software and in general a more keyboard/macros focused workflow. My 4k 39" screen really, really drove me to use keyboard shortcuts. By default on Windows, hitting Windows+Number will take you to the 1st/2nd/3rd/etc program in your taskbar. I use AutoHotKey to take this further: CapsLock+Number and CapsLock+F1-F12 also take me to predetermined programs. I install websites as Chrome apps (chrome://apps/) in order to make going to Gmail/Calendar/Github faster. (I use 7+ Taskbar Tweaker to hide the labels so they don't take over my taskbar.) I also use this script: https://www.autohotkey.com/board/topic/79338-simple-window-positionsize-manager-similar-to-win-7-snap/ https://www.autohotkey.com/board/topic/79338-simple-window-p... which makes window management (resizing, centering, moving, etc) much easier. I also use Vimium and this program https://github.com/zsims/hunt-and-peck https://github.com/zsims/hunt-and-peck - now my hands almost never leave the keyboard. I encourage you to spend some time optimizing your setup. It really, really pays off. The powerboard on my TV-monitor has broken 3x now - and each time I've repaired it/replaced the part because I like my setup so much.
incanus77 5y ago
> The Mac menu is all the way up the top left. That makes using any app in any window that isn't top left difficult because I have to keep sending the mouse away long distance. You might want to check out Menuwhere: https://manytricks.com/menuwhere/ https://manytricks.com/menuwhere/ I started using it after deciding to minimalize my desktop and hide my menu bar by default and put my dock on the right, since the monitor is wider than it is tall.
karmakaze 5y ago
I'm using a 43" LG monitor and it works pretty well, though I do find that something in-between 28" and 43" would have been better, but most of the wider ones are ultrawide rather than 16:9. I also have a 28" 4k and it's weird that using the middle 28" of the 43" in 2560x1440 with huge black matte feels so much more spacious. For pairing it's hard to find the right window/font size as it's typically displays as 27" for the other person. Zoom/meet's are pretty good though, can clearly see faces and what's presented.

michaelbuckbee 5y ago

I'm using a 55" 4k Curved TV (which they've unfortunately stopped selling) and it really helps with the "only the center window is easy to perceive". I'd previously used a small 42" 4K TV that was flat and the only way I could really use the corner "windows" was when I was using it on my standing desk to I could lean left or right. The other thing that's absolutely essential for using these larger format monitors is window management software and in general a more keyboard/macros focused workflow.

NathanielK 5y ago
> The other thing that's absolutely essential for using these larger format monitors is window management software and in general a more keyboard/macros focused workflow. I've also found a few tweaks to make it much easier with clicking on tiny things far away with the mouse. The AltDrag[0] software on windows is godsend. Instead of trying to click menu bars, window edge, or other small targets, you just click anywhere on the window while holding alt. It's built into many linux DEs, but I'm glad to have it on windows too. Windows also has a (slightly odd) focus-follows-mouse setting built in. This is nice to have less random clicking on windows to bring to the foreground, but has a second, handier function. When you alt-tab to a window with it enabled, it also brings your cursor too the window. Means you never lose your cursor at the wrong end of the monitor(s) switching between windows. The last trick is probably the simplest, but makes the biggest improvement. I always set my cursor size to be very big so I can see it in my periphery. Any specific changes you've found useful with your setup? [0] https://stefansundin.github.io/altdrag/ https://stefansundin.github.io/altdrag/
- michaelbuckbee 5y ago
  I really found Divvy for Window Management to be great. A lot of the other window managers seemed really fixed in what they could set where Divvy let you build your own grid and boxes. https://mizage.com/divvy/ https://mizage.com/divvy/

dharmaturtle 5y ago

I want to emphasize the other comment: > The other thing that's absolutely essential for using these larger format monitors is window management software and in general a more keyboard/macros focused workflow. My 4k 39" screen really, really drove me to use keyboard shortcuts. By default on Windows, hitting Windows+Number will take you to the 1st/2nd/3rd/etc program in your taskbar. I use AutoHotKey to take this further: CapsLock+Number and CapsLock+F1-F12 also take me to predetermined programs. I install websites as Chrome apps (chrome://apps/) in order to make going to Gmail/Calendar/Github faster. (I use 7+ Taskbar Tweaker to hide the labels so they don't take over my taskbar.) I also use this script: https://www.autohotkey.com/board/topic/79338-simple-window-positionsize-manager-similar-to-win-7-snap/ https://www.autohotkey.com/board/topic/79338-simple-window-p... which makes window management (resizing, centering, moving, etc) much easier. I also use Vimium and this program https://github.com/zsims/hunt-and-peck https://github.com/zsims/hunt-and-peck - now my hands almost never leave the keyboard. I encourage you to spend some time optimizing your setup. It really, really pays off. The powerboard on my TV-monitor has broken 3x now - and each time I've repaired it/replaced the part because I like my setup so much.

incanus77 5y ago

> The Mac menu is all the way up the top left. That makes using any app in any window that isn't top left difficult because I have to keep sending the mouse away long distance. You might want to check out Menuwhere: https://manytricks.com/menuwhere/ https://manytricks.com/menuwhere/ I started using it after deciding to minimalize my desktop and hide my menu bar by default and put my dock on the right, since the monitor is wider than it is tall.

karmakaze 5y ago

I'm using a 43" LG monitor and it works pretty well, though I do find that something in-between 28" and 43" would have been better, but most of the wider ones are ultrawide rather than 16:9. I also have a 28" 4k and it's weird that using the middle 28" of the 43" in 2560x1440 with huge black matte feels so much more spacious. For pairing it's hard to find the right window/font size as it's typically displays as 27" for the other person. Zoom/meet's are pretty good though, can clearly see faces and what's presented.