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I guess it is just me, but I cannot stand working on small screens on the desktop. I will accept a small screen on a laptop because it is inconvenient carrying

I guess it is just me, but I cannot stand working on small screens on the desktop. I will accept a small screen on a laptop because it is inconvenient carrying around something larger, but on a desktop, there is no reason to compromise. I use a 48" OLED with my MacBook Air M3 and for me that is a near ultimate web development experience both on desktop and when travelling: https://bsky.app/profile/benhouston3d.bsky.social/post/3l7linb6nzi2j https://bsky.app/profile/benhouston3d.bsky.social/post/3l7li...

madeofpalk 2y ago
What's the actual resolution of this? The idea of using something with such low pixel density seems really painful to me.
- bhouston 2y ago
  It is 4K. I wish it was higher. But practically, I cannot find an affordable 6K OLED monitor. And 8K is both unaffordable as well as not supported by my MacBook Air: https://support.apple.com/en-ca/guide/macbook-air/apd8cdd74f57/mac#:~:text=Your%20MacBook%20Air%20can%20support%20one%20external%20display%20with%20up,4K%20resolution%20at%20144%20Hz https://support.apple.com/en-ca/guide/macbook-air/apd8cdd74f.... I do set my MacBook resolution to maximum and it works well.
  - madeofpalk 2y ago
    So you value just the physical size of things, not being able to display more 'stuff'? For example, a 27" 5k (5120 x 2880) display will give you more space/resolution for stuff than a 4k 48" display. I can't imagine how pleasent that would be, the display being so physically large with pixels the side of boulders. As long as it works for you, I guess! I'm with you in spirit though - I ditched dual monitors for an ultrawide and its now the only way I can work.
    - bhouston 2y ago
      I do wish it was higher resolution for sure, but that isn't feasible this year. I would have to squint at a 27" 5K monitor to read the fonts if I put this much on screen at once.
    - mixmastamyk 2y ago
      Having to turn your head to see a full 16:9 screen doesn’t sound great either.
crossroadsguy 2y ago
I tried couple of monitor sizes and anything above 27-28 inches came across as downright inconvenient for work at least for me. Also, 4K was not great at all. 2K was. It was opposite of how I want my TV.
- bhouston 2y ago
  I love the screen real-estate resolution for coding, it really is a lower cognitive load. I can have the terminal window open with lots of output, the ChatGPT window for AI, the source code with a ton of lines on the screen. And then on the other side have the browser window open with the console/debugger below. No need to swap in-and-out windows at all, just shift my gaze.
- rsynnott 2y ago
  Yeah, 27” was about the sweet spot for me. We now have 32” monitors at work, and I find them a _little_ uncomfortable to use. Depends on your field of view, I suppose.
whatever1 2y ago
The pixel density would kill me. Now if it was an 8k monitor…
- bhouston 2y ago
  And if MacBook's supported 8K monitors (they max out at 6K 60Hz, where as 4K does 144Hz.) That would be my next upgrade once they are affordable. But I think they won't be affordable until 8K TVs are common as that will drive the volume.
  - hmottestad 2y ago
    Many of them can do 8K 60Hz over HDMI: https://support.apple.com/en-us/102236 https://support.apple.com/en-us/102236 Edit: You need an M2/M3 Pro or above.
- hmottestad 2y ago
  DELL has a 32" 8K monitor if you’re interested. Personally I’ve gotten bitten by both the pixel density and the high refresh rate bugs. So now I want a 27" 5K 120hz monitor, or none at all :P
robertoandred 2y ago
Looking at pixelated text all day on a low-resolution monitor doesn't seem very ultimate to me.
fourfour3 2y ago
I'm not sure I could do this - I think it would do horrible things to my neck! But I am curious: Do you run that at 3840x2160 without high-dpi support? How do you find text clarity?

madeofpalk 2y ago

What's the actual resolution of this? The idea of using something with such low pixel density seems really painful to me.

bhouston 2y ago
It is 4K. I wish it was higher. But practically, I cannot find an affordable 6K OLED monitor. And 8K is both unaffordable as well as not supported by my MacBook Air: https://support.apple.com/en-ca/guide/macbook-air/apd8cdd74f57/mac#:~:text=Your%20MacBook%20Air%20can%20support%20one%20external%20display%20with%20up,4K%20resolution%20at%20144%20Hz https://support.apple.com/en-ca/guide/macbook-air/apd8cdd74f.... I do set my MacBook resolution to maximum and it works well.
- madeofpalk 2y ago
  So you value just the physical size of things, not being able to display more 'stuff'? For example, a 27" 5k (5120 x 2880) display will give you more space/resolution for stuff than a 4k 48" display. I can't imagine how pleasent that would be, the display being so physically large with pixels the side of boulders. As long as it works for you, I guess! I'm with you in spirit though - I ditched dual monitors for an ultrawide and its now the only way I can work.
  - bhouston 2y ago
    I do wish it was higher resolution for sure, but that isn't feasible this year. I would have to squint at a 27" 5K monitor to read the fonts if I put this much on screen at once.
  - mixmastamyk 2y ago
    Having to turn your head to see a full 16:9 screen doesn’t sound great either.

crossroadsguy 2y ago

I tried couple of monitor sizes and anything above 27-28 inches came across as downright inconvenient for work at least for me. Also, 4K was not great at all. 2K was. It was opposite of how I want my TV.

bhouston 2y ago
I love the screen real-estate resolution for coding, it really is a lower cognitive load. I can have the terminal window open with lots of output, the ChatGPT window for AI, the source code with a ton of lines on the screen. And then on the other side have the browser window open with the console/debugger below. No need to swap in-and-out windows at all, just shift my gaze.
rsynnott 2y ago
Yeah, 27” was about the sweet spot for me. We now have 32” monitors at work, and I find them a _little_ uncomfortable to use. Depends on your field of view, I suppose.

whatever1 2y ago

The pixel density would kill me. Now if it was an 8k monitor…

bhouston 2y ago
And if MacBook's supported 8K monitors (they max out at 6K 60Hz, where as 4K does 144Hz.) That would be my next upgrade once they are affordable. But I think they won't be affordable until 8K TVs are common as that will drive the volume.
- hmottestad 2y ago
  Many of them can do 8K 60Hz over HDMI: https://support.apple.com/en-us/102236 https://support.apple.com/en-us/102236 Edit: You need an M2/M3 Pro or above.
hmottestad 2y ago
DELL has a 32" 8K monitor if you’re interested. Personally I’ve gotten bitten by both the pixel density and the high refresh rate bugs. So now I want a 27" 5K 120hz monitor, or none at all :P

robertoandred 2y ago

Looking at pixelated text all day on a low-resolution monitor doesn't seem very ultimate to me.

fourfour3 2y ago

I'm not sure I could do this - I think it would do horrible things to my neck! But I am curious: Do you run that at 3840x2160 without high-dpi support? How do you find text clarity?