[HN Gopher] Ideal monitor rotation for programmers (2021)
       ___________________________________________________________________
        
       Ideal monitor rotation for programmers (2021)
        
       Author : AndrewKemendo
       Score  : 487 points
       Date   : 2023-12-29 05:39 UTC (1 days ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (sprocketfox.io)
 (TXT) w3m dump (sprocketfox.io)
        
       | linecept wrote:
       | 45deg makes a hell lot of sense. No line breaks needed anymore.
        
         | therein wrote:
         | I thought you were making a clever joke until I visited the
         | link.
         | 
         | https://sprocketfox.io/xssfox/images/PXL_20211202_035205492....
         | 
         | Something about this is hilarious.
        
           | dexzod wrote:
           | Just looking at it makes me feel dizzy
        
           | _the_inflator wrote:
           | Watching this picture, I am desperately waiting for some
           | box2d animation to appear.
        
           | dr_kiszonka wrote:
           | This looks like I would be spending most of my day scrolling
           | : - )
        
       | starkparker wrote:
       | (2021)
       | 
       | Previously: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29417484
        
         | dang wrote:
         | Thanks! Macroexpanded:
         | 
         |  _Ideal Monitor Rotation for Programmers_ -
         | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29417484 - Dec 2021 (419
         | comments)
        
       | PDTao5Q2TMaTp7U wrote:
       | 1 vert and 1 horiz is actually my favorite setup. I just dont
       | have space for it next to my ultrawide.
        
         | eru wrote:
         | See the linked article for an improvement.
        
       | raingros wrote:
       | Maybe it would be smarter to use one of the these?
       | 
       | Samsung 43" M70A 4K UHD Smart Monitor
       | https://www.samsung.com/us/computing/monitors/smart-monitors...
        
         | KeplerBoy wrote:
         | I'm curious about these, but I feel like it's too much vertical
         | space, which would require a lot of head movement.
        
         | winrid wrote:
         | I liked my Samsung ultra wide until it started to hurt my eyes
         | from the terrible PWM modulation...
        
           | SSLy wrote:
           | How do I check whether my display is having fine PWM
           | modulation?
        
             | raingros wrote:
             | Look for an in-depth review of your display model. Just
             | checked for my Asus VG278QR and I found out that the
             | background illumination isn't reduced by PWM.
        
           | user_7832 wrote:
           | It might be worth checking the modes available, perhaps
           | cinema or eyecare modes may help if available. Not a monitor
           | but on our Samsung TV some modes flicker visibly while others
           | don't. Fiddling around the settings accidentally turned it on
           | for me.
        
         | bun_terminator wrote:
         | Ever since I found out that many new monitors don't have an RGB
         | subpixel layout, I've been paranoid. I can't find the layout
         | for this one. any idea?
        
           | ycombinete wrote:
           | How do they layout their sub pixels?!
        
             | bun_terminator wrote:
             | I think BGR is most popular. Which breaks (some) subpixel
             | font rendering
        
           | JoshTriplett wrote:
           | At 4k, I've found grayscale antialiasing quite sufficient and
           | don't miss the fringing effect of subpixel AA.
        
             | bun_terminator wrote:
             | I worry about all the code I _don 't_ know about. Who knows
             | what other software I can't control relies on RGB layout.
             | Maybe irrational, but I don't want to risk it. Especially
             | since you gain nothing in return.
        
               | JoshTriplett wrote:
               | OLED often isn't RGB, and you gain a great deal there.
        
               | bun_terminator wrote:
               | I think it's completely orthogonal issues, no? You
               | probably refer to OLEDs superior black levels etc. But
               | this thread was about subpixel rendering. One can be bad
               | while the other can not. It's unrelated.
        
               | JoshTriplett wrote:
               | They're related because many OLEDs use a non-RGB pixel
               | layout, so it's necessary to turn off sub-pixel anti-
               | aliasing, and the net result seems worth that tradeoff
               | now that screens are high-resolution enough that sub-
               | pixel anti-aliasing makes less of a difference.
        
               | bun_terminator wrote:
               | But the high resolution is not a property of OLED
               | displays. The tradeoff might be worth it, but it's still
               | a tradeoff I'm not willing to risk.
        
         | dsp_person wrote:
         | +1 to that. Also get 120Hz if you can (but has it's own
         | headaches to solve, including e.g. HDMI 2.1 isn't supported in
         | open source drivers).
         | 
         | I recently started using a LG 42" C2. Coming from two 27"
         | monitors at 2560x1440, the 42" 3840x2160 is about the same
         | pixel density and only 12.5% more pixels total
         | (3840*2160/(2*2560*1440))
         | 
         | The 42" screen is like portrait mode on demand. Whenever I
         | tried portrait mode on the 27" screens, it was nice sometimes
         | but usually felt limited in width. With the 42" a quick tile of
         | a window to either side (Super+Left/Right) gives you the height
         | of portrait mode, plus more width (and adjustable to your
         | liking).
         | 
         | Also for those now spare 27" monitors kicking around, I grabbed
         | a vertical monitor mount to stack them (both landscape, stacked
         | vertically) next to the 42". This has proven to be even better
         | and I love having the zones this creates.
        
           | ajross wrote:
           | > get 120Hz if you can
           | 
           | For reading static text? Why on earth would you care?
        
             | ParetoOptimal wrote:
             | I found the increased smoothness scrolling with 144hz to be
             | both noticeable and nice compared to 60hz.
        
         | nordsieck wrote:
         | I really wish that someone would make a 43" TV/monitor in 8k.
         | 
         | The smallest that I've seen is 55" and that just too big to be
         | comfortably used as a monitor.
        
           | hsbauauvhabzb wrote:
           | I used a 30hz 4k tv as a monitor back in the day, it was not
           | enjoyable with substantial input lag making photoshop etc
           | impossible to use. Be patient, it will happen eventually.
        
         | LegitShady wrote:
         | because its full of features I actively don't want (smart tv
         | apps, integrated IoT hub, voice assistants, etc etc) and only a
         | 60hz VA panel. Spending money on spyware while having a
         | relatively low end panel.
        
         | ajross wrote:
         | That's what I do. Not with that specific product, but with a
         | sub-$300 television from Amazon.
         | 
         | I've done the separate monitors thing, I've done the "portrait
         | monitors for text" thing. Really the best solution is just a
         | big flat plane that subtends ~60 degrees horizontally and just
         | about (9/16)*60 vertically, which is enough to put the top just
         | above eye level and the bottom just above the table. Plenty of
         | space to put your windows where you need 'em without all the
         | fussing about optimizing layout.
         | 
         | And it's dirt cheap.
        
       | dkjaudyeqooe wrote:
       | The 22deg solution is just missing a triangular window
       | implementation, or perhaps a "split diagonally" window view
       | option.
        
         | lifthrasiir wrote:
         | I do think the optimal screen is more or less a triangle or a
         | semi-circle. A rotated rectangular screen is a very crude
         | approximation.
        
       | akho wrote:
       | I think we need a wayland protocol for this, going forward.
        
       | LispSporks22 wrote:
       | 90 degrees is best for me and my Go code. Can fit tons more "if
       | err != nil" blocks that way.
        
         | Cthulhu_ wrote:
         | You could do two column layout that way too, because nobody
         | should write more than 80 characters wide.
        
           | loloquwowndueo wrote:
           | Why, so your friends using vintage vt100 terminals can read
           | your code without scrolling?
        
             | HarHarVeryFunny wrote:
             | No need to limit to 100 cols - VT100 with AVO (Advanced
             | Video Option) or VT102 could do 132 columns!
             | 
             | Would have been cool to pair up a terminal like this with a
             | BBC micro or other similar vintage computer for code
             | editing, although the terminal would have been more
             | expensive than the computer.
        
           | layer8 wrote:
           | I find up to about 100 characters to be manageable from a
           | readability perspective, but yes, not much more.
        
       | Nition wrote:
       | The actual "ideal" rotation for maximum line length would be
       | closer to 23deg rather than 22deg, right? Because Atan(9/21) =
       | 23.20deg.
       | 
       | Also... could we go further? If we're treating the screen's
       | content as an arbitrary plane, what about tilting the content of
       | screen away from you like SNES Mode 7 or the Star Wars text
       | crawl? Infinite screen height!
        
         | quickthrower2 wrote:
         | Does character height affect that calculation? The longest line
         | possible wont be able to render at the ends, so is it possible
         | there is a shorter line on a different angle that can render
         | more text?
        
           | layer8 wrote:
           | I believe you are right. For reasonably small character
           | heights, it would decrease the angle slightly.
        
         | layer8 wrote:
         | Since the monitor is curved, it might even be closer to 24deg.
        
       | isoprophlex wrote:
       | The ideal obviously is a monitor spinning at the magic angle of
       | ~54.74 degrees, thus removing the influence of anisotropic
       | interactions
       | 
       | https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_angle
        
         | Hugsun wrote:
         | This Wikipedia article reads like a joke. Very funny.
        
           | Nition wrote:
           | I love how it's all this advanced stuff and then like, it's
           | also a great angle for your garden hose.
        
       | huytersd wrote:
       | When has line length ever been an issue? That 22 degree thing is
       | hell. You can see like 5 lines, it would drive me insane.
        
         | xxs wrote:
         | >When has line length ever been an issue?
         | 
         | The early 90s - even the glorious VGA didn't have much large
         | than 80 columns, it took VESA to bring the 132x43 text mode.
         | Then early '00, with whoever managed to come with the extreme
         | anti-pattern of having extremely long class names in Java,
         | 1024x768 was not enough by far (and 800x600 was a joke).
        
           | tecleandor wrote:
           | Although I think almost nobody follows it anymore, Python's
           | PEP-8 still dictates lines of a maximum of 79 columns by
           | default :D
        
         | Nition wrote:
         | The article is just for fun, I'm sure it's not their real daily
         | setup.
        
       | anonymous344 wrote:
       | is this a joke?
       | 
       | I have 2 to 4 monitors for full stack web dev (win10) and having
       | separate monitors instead of 1 big one is just 100% win
        
         | AndroTux wrote:
         | No, this article is 100% serious. I just tried it and it really
         | works.
        
         | littlecranky67 wrote:
         | +1 for team separate monitors for webdev. Although I am on
         | macOS, I use 2x 24" (with thin bezels put next to each other)
         | plus laptop screen. The handling of the OS "window manager" is
         | just smoother for separate screens as opposed to ultra wide:
         | separate workspaces per screen, shortcuts (via BTT) to move
         | windows to a specific screen and maximize etc.
         | 
         | Too bad apple decided that using two external monitors is a
         | "pro" feature and requires at least an "Pro" M1/M2/M3
         | processor. Even though my 2x 24" run at 1080p and I have been
         | using them every since with my original MacbookPro from 2014
         | without issues...
        
           | TylerE wrote:
           | Use the free square app and you can set up key combos for all
           | your window management.
        
             | littlecranky67 wrote:
             | with my existing better touch tool setup? How does square
             | replace the multiple workspaces in Mission Control? Etc.
             | 
             | Plus, what is the URL for that app? "square app macos"
             | google returns vastly different/unrelated results.
        
       | tuananh wrote:
       | > So this here I think is the best monitor orientation for
       | software development. It provides the longest line lengths and no
       | longer need to worry about that pesky 80 column limit.
       | 
       | Author optimized for this metrics. If you dont need this, no need
       | to try :D
        
         | imiric wrote:
         | If the author is serious, and works in a team, they would still
         | need to worry about that "pesky" line length limit, though.
         | 
         | I really don't get the argument against short line lengths, and
         | that they're somehow a relic of old display resolutions. I find
         | them genuinely helpful.
         | 
         | Having to glance horizontally to read code is suboptimal
         | compared to keeping my eyes fixed on a relatively narrow block.
         | Being able to fit more documents open side-by-side without
         | arbitrary line breaks is always helpful, especially when
         | merging, even on ultrawide displays. This is why I still prefer
         | shorter lengths, and try to keep it near the traditional 80 as
         | much as possible. I compromise when working in a team and if
         | someone has a different preference, but I never got the appeal,
         | honestly.
        
           | wakeupcall wrote:
           | Agree. Shorter lines are more readable the same way narrow
           | paragraphs in multi-column layouts are more readable, as it's
           | easier to follow to the next line.
           | 
           | I'm not strict on the 80 column rule. Readability for code is
           | a balance in intent for me first and foremost, but I also do
           | try to keep lengths close to it.
           | 
           | I used to follow 2 source files side-by-side easily on a
           | 16:10 monitor. I'm struggling to do that on my 16:9 now due
           | to how long the lines are on my current codebase with a
           | regular editor.
           | 
           | Comparisons are hourly occurrences for me. Long lines require
           | scrolling or word-wrapping, either of which is just horrific.
           | If I try the same on github, which wastes even more
           | horizontal space, two source files are barely fitting side-
           | by-side even with 80 columns.
           | 
           | I'm kind of surprised authors writing these long lines, which
           | also will review those long lines in the future, and not put
           | off by the inconvenience they're doing to themselves.
        
       | user_7832 wrote:
       | On a similar note, I once again wish more displays were 3:2, and
       | more people knew about it. The human central (not peripheral)
       | vision's ratio is very close to 3:2, yet due to economics of
       | scale 16:9 is marginally cheaper and much more common.
       | 
       | And if someone is wondering, no, rotating 16:9 vertically for
       | more vertical space doesn't help because it makes it very narrow
       | - for me IMO a square display would be the best. (There are also
       | minor subpixel rendering issues, along with viewing angle issues
       | if using a TN panel but those are still more minor.)
        
         | mgoetzke wrote:
         | A reason why i liked the SurfaceBook so much. Their aspect
         | ratio was near perfect. Now I am back to MBP which comes second
        
         | kookamamie wrote:
         | Yawn. Get on with the times. I've been using ultrawide (21:9)
         | for years, and would definitely not want to go back to peeking
         | through a square'ish hole.
        
           | user_7832 wrote:
           | UW is fine if you've got a 28" or more desktop (or maybe
           | larger even), but I'd take a 28" 3:2 like the Huawei Mateview
           | over a 28" UW any day of the week. The UW probably has 20 or
           | 30% lesser screen area.
        
             | wtallis wrote:
             | Ultrawides only start to make sense at about 34" and up,
             | corresponding to 1440 pixels vertically. Anything less than
             | that would be worthless for productivity (ie. not movies or
             | first-person gaming) given today's UI trends of massive
             | horizontal bars/ribbons sized for small touchscreens.
             | 
             | Likewise, a monitor in portrait usually needs to be at
             | least 1200(w)x1920(h) (ie. a 24" 16:10) to be usable for
             | browsing today's web without getting served up a mobile-
             | specific layout too often. A reasonably-sized 1080p display
             | in portrait can be great for stuff like text editors and
             | terminal windows.
        
           | misterS wrote:
           | Starting a comment with <<yawn>> immediately shows dismissal
           | of and disrespect for the person you're replying to.
           | 
           | You might want to refresh your memory of HN's guidelines.
           | Link at the bottom.
        
           | Wytwwww wrote:
           | Imagine how useless a 21:9 laptop would be.. It all comes
           | down screen size.
        
             | LegitShady wrote:
             | I only use 32:9 laptops for exactly that reason.
        
         | supersrdjan wrote:
         | yesss... I discovered how wrong the widescreen displays are
         | after I had found an old IBM Thinkpad in my basement and tried
         | it. To add to what you said, I will also point out that it's
         | the vertical space that often gets pinched by toolbars and
         | such, effectively squishing your working area to an even wider
         | ratio. And when working with text (reading, writing), the left
         | and right edges of my screen are just slabs of emptiness. Given
         | all that, a taller display feels more roomy for the same
         | surface area.
         | 
         | The only disadvantage though is that putting two
         | windows/panes/buffers of anything side by side would no longer
         | be as convenient?
         | 
         | Do you have a 3:2 screen yourself, which one?
        
           | sveitly wrote:
           | That's also part why I love the Firefox vertical tree-style
           | tabs addon.
        
           | spockz wrote:
           | This is why and how I use a 5k ultra wide. It allows me to
           | make two more-or-less square windows in the same monitor.
        
           | user_7832 wrote:
           | > the vertical space that often gets pinched by toolbars and
           | such, effectively squishing your working area to an even
           | wider ratio. And when working with text (reading, writing),
           | the left and right edges of my screen are just slabs of
           | emptiness.
           | 
           | Absolutely agree, and it's amazing/infuriating when
           | people/companies don't realise it. My mom's old Asus could
           | barely fit a few lines of text on its small screen after all
           | its toolbars in chrome. You shouldn't need to scroll multiple
           | times to read a 3-paragraph email on a display where it fits
           | if it were the only text! (And of course about 60% of the
           | space on the sides was wasted.)
           | 
           | I don't have a 3:2 display yet, though I do have an old 16:10
           | 21" monitor which is alright. My ipad (10.9") is okayish as
           | well, but I'm planning to buy a 16" 3:2 portable monitor
           | soon. Do you have an 3:2 screens?
        
             | supersrdjan wrote:
             | No, I was only aware of the Eizo models, too expensive for
             | me, but am at this moment looking at various
             | recommendations people are sharing in this thread.
        
           | TylerE wrote:
           | At least on OS X, using a free utility, I can set two apps to
           | exactly split the screen with two key presses and one mouse
           | click. ON a 16:9 it comes back to being an actually decent
           | aspect ratio for reading text.
        
         | cylinder714 wrote:
         | Eizo made a 1920x1920 display that I think has been
         | discontinued; a very good review:
         | 
         | https://youtu.be/gJG9HOQITrg
         | 
         | The LG DualUp is an almost-square 16:18 monitor, higher
         | resolution than the Eizo and almost half the price.
        
           | user_7832 wrote:
           | Thanks for the review link of the monitor, don't think I'd
           | seen one yet!
           | 
           | I've got my eye out the LG one, but unfortunately it's still
           | a little out of my student budget. I hope to get it soon,
           | fingers crossed!
        
             | cylinder714 wrote:
             | I checked this morning, and LG is selling it for USD$600,
             | $100 off:
             | 
             | https://www.lg.com/us/monitors/lg-28mq780-b-dualup-monitor
             | 
             | And Google is showing prices from other retailers as low as
             | $500.
        
           | dr_kiszonka wrote:
           | This LG looks great for a dual setup and has a decent PPI.
           | Thanks!
        
           | JoshTriplett wrote:
           | Unfortunately, unusual screen sizes and OLED aren't as
           | available in combination. And since I spend all day in a
           | terminal, having the black background be _off_ is wonderful.
           | I would love 3:2, but I get more value from OLED.
        
           | Keyframe wrote:
           | Oh nice, thanks for this! I was disappointed when I went to
           | buy EIZO one, only to find it was discontinued. 1:1 and OLED
           | would be awesome, if such a thing existed of course. Not only
           | for writing, but also for emulation purposes - close enough
           | to 4:3 and 3:4 (yoko/tate modes) not to have to rotate the
           | screen, just a bit of black on the sides.
        
             | user_7832 wrote:
             | If you're very interested and have the time/inclination,
             | you can DIY a similar monitor using the panel and its
             | driver from Aliexpress. Let me know if you want more info.
        
           | Casseres wrote:
           | I have 3 of these that I bought new back in 2018, that I'm
           | considering selling in the Houston area.
           | 
           | I haven't used them in 2 years, but coincidentally, earlier
           | today I thought about setting up a new workstation that will
           | use all three. So this comment is to gauge if there is any
           | interest.
           | 
           | I'm an Air Traffic Controller, and I discovered these
           | monitors because we used them in a simulator. At the time,
           | the screens we used for controlling traffic were 2048x2048
           | (that our tech-ops said cost 20k), but recently we switched
           | to larger rectangular monitors (also Eizo).
           | 
           | If anyone in Houston is interested, email me at
           | thomas@(username).com
        
         | Wytwwww wrote:
         | For laptops definitely. Screen above ~24"? I don't really think
         | this is that relevant and if have multiple windows open side by
         | side it's the opposite (16:9 is more ergonomic than 3:2,).
        
         | okasaki wrote:
         | Huawei makes a 3:2 28" monitor -
         | https://consumer.huawei.com/uk/monitors/mateview/specs/
         | 
         | It's 3840*2560
        
           | user_7832 wrote:
           | I'm aware about this monitor but unfortunately it seems that
           | production has either stopped or slowed down, while it was
           | available to buy some months/a year ago, now it's not.
        
         | crazygringo wrote:
         | > _The human central (not peripheral) vision's ratio is very
         | close to 3:2_
         | 
         | That's irrelevant, though, when monitor size is much larger
         | than our central vision.
         | 
         | What does matter is neck strain. The reality is that you want
         | to keep your head level while moving it right/left. Right/left
         | doesn't have to work against gravity, while up/down does.
         | 
         | This is why wider is better than taller for something monitor-
         | sized.
        
         | bdavbdav wrote:
         | I have a Huawei MateView 3:2 4k(+) monitor. It's gorgeous.
        
       | Justsignedup wrote:
       | I love this. It reminds me of the two vs 4 spaces. And some dude
       | will inevitably say 3 spaces fuck you. My point is... We need
       | this in the office so that every time I turn on video chat I have
       | to explain why I'm slanted.
        
       | teekert wrote:
       | I think a servo motor should be behind the screen and it should
       | rotate depending on whether I look up or down or sideways. Added
       | benefit: if you spin the screen fast enough you get a circular
       | display! Of course this means you have to precisely time screen
       | refresh rates and invent a new type of rotation resistant power
       | and video cable.
        
         | rypskar wrote:
         | >>invent a new type of rotation resistant power and video cable
         | 
         | That should not be difficult, plug cables into the base instead
         | of directly into the screen and have circular donut shaped
         | plates connecting the base and the screen instead of cables.
         | The plates do of course have to have a spring to put the
         | correct pressure to give a good connection even after some wear
         | on the plates
        
           | genpfault wrote:
           | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slip_ring
        
           | zokier wrote:
           | Instead of mechanical slip-rings use fiber-optic rotary joint
           | so you avoid awkward bandwidth limitations. You could
           | probably make do with plain off-the-shelf components here
        
         | imp0cat wrote:
         | Auto-rotating wallmounts are a thing!
         | 
         | https://www.samsung.com/us/televisions-home-theater/televisi...
        
       | LASR wrote:
       | Tangentially related thought: Take my advice, don't go ultra-
       | wide. Go with a large 4k. You get more pixels for cheaper.
       | 
       | The only ultrawide that makes any sense is the 5k x 2k resolution
       | one. These have more pixels than a single 4K. But they are
       | expensive.
       | 
       | Even then, a 16:9 5K monitor has more pixels.
       | 
       | I personally use 3 x 27 inch 4K - which is cheaper than a single
       | 5k Ultra-wide and gives you a TON more pixels.
        
         | danieldisu wrote:
         | Always focus on PPI, some rough numbers
         | 
         | 27" 5k (5120 x 2880) -> 218 PPI
         | 
         | 32" 4k (3840 x 2160) -> 137.68 PPI
         | 
         | 34" 5k (5120 x 2160) -> 163.44 PPI
         | 
         | 39,7 5K (5120 x 2160) -> 139.97 PPI
         | 
         | Apple Pro Display XDR 32" 6k (6016 x 3384) -> 218 PPI
        
           | Kuraj wrote:
           | PPI doesn't translate to screen estate, though
        
             | notorandit wrote:
             | And too many PPI won't make text easier to read, unless you
             | magnify the screen, thus actually loosing PPIs.
             | 
             | PPIs will display sharper pictures, provided that they have
             | enough quality.
        
               | vladvasiliu wrote:
               | The text _is_ sharper with a higher PPI even if the
               | actual size of the text is the same. I have a 4k 24 "
               | screen, and text is much _much_ sharper than on any FHD
               | 24 ". Hell, it's noticeably sharper even than on my 14"
               | FHD laptop. And sharper text helps with legibility, so I
               | find I can actually use smaller font sizes more
               | comfortably than the "regular" size on a lower-res
               | screen.
               | 
               | You don't get more real estate, indeed, since that
               | depends on zoom level. However, depending on your setup
               | and habits, you may actually gain some. In my case, I use
               | 4k at 100% zoom. I don't care for window decorations,
               | interface icons and so on, so it's not an issue if
               | they're small.
        
               | brandall10 wrote:
               | If you go up PPI by a percentage you can reduce font size
               | by a similar amount. Too small to be legible? Literally
               | move the screen closer. No need to magnify anything.
               | 
               | Have a 27" 4k monitor and a 42" 4k monitor? Move the 27"
               | close enough that it takes up the same FOV as the 4k and
               | you get the same experience.
               | 
               | This isn't like home theatre where you're constrained to
               | the dimensions of a room (ie. wall or console location a
               | TV sits on top of and seat viewing distance).
        
               | ParetoOptimal wrote:
               | For eye health, I've gotten the recommendation to keep my
               | monitor an arms length away.
               | 
               | If that is true, I'd consider move the screen closer to
               | not be an option.
        
               | brandall10 wrote:
               | You don't want it _too_ close, but it can be closer than
               | that if you have normal eyesight. The line should be
               | where your eyes have trouble focusing and add a small
               | buffer. For me that 's about a foot. So wherever you're
               | comfortable looking at a smartphone (or really any
               | object) is a good point of reference.
               | 
               | Otherwise this is a commonly propagated myth related to
               | radiation from early TV sets.
               | 
               | https://theopticalshoppetn.com/is-sitting-too-close-to-
               | the-t...
        
           | wongarsu wrote:
           | My preferred setup in terms of screen real estate is 24" 2k
           | (2560x1440) without scaling. In terms of PPI it's a bit low
           | (122), but 244 PPI 24" screens are hard to get. 1.5x scaling
           | is an option
        
             | baq wrote:
             | I like 25x14 on a 27" and the fact that on a mac you have
             | to buy BetterDisplay just to make it work about 80% as good
             | as on Windows makes me... not at all surprised since I'm
             | supposed to use an apple display with an apple computer,
             | right?
        
               | pivo wrote:
               | Why not just get a 4K 27"? They can be had for around
               | $220 USD nowadays. I paid that for mine.
               | 
               | I do dislike the fact that Apple removed decent support
               | for lower resolution monitors, but I also don't see why
               | anyone would prefer them to higher res unless it's a
               | budget issue.
        
               | baq wrote:
               | 4k is... too low res for desktop use on a mac. 25x14
               | upscaled to 5k only to be downscaled again to device
               | native resolution by a $15 tool still gives me more
               | usable screen real estate than a native 4k and the $15
               | makes it so text is actually legible...
        
               | pivo wrote:
               | By 25x14, do you mean 2560x1440? If so, are you saying
               | that a $15 device will magically make a 2560x1440 monitor
               | higher resolution than 3840x2160? If that's what you're
               | saying, do you have a link that provides some detail on
               | this because I don't believe it.
               | 
               | I'm also unable to believe someone would consider 27" 4K
               | text illegible on a mac since that's what I use that
               | every day and can read text comfortably. Edit: Unless
               | you're using it unscaled, then yeah, text isn't that
               | legible.
               | 
               | These are strange statements to make without any detail.
        
               | baq wrote:
               | It isn't a device, it's a software tool. It doesn't make
               | the monitor magically 2x the resolution; it can trick
               | macos to render onto a 5k buffer and then downscale the
               | output to the physical display so it looks not-broken.
               | 
               | https://github.com/waydabber/BetterDisplay
               | 
               | I'm saying macOS is unusable on native resolutions -
               | everything is either too small or too blurry, so a 4k
               | display won't do me any good. 25x14 is the sweet spot for
               | me, but I guess Apple decided I'm holding it wrong,
               | because they want me to get a 5k display to get usable
               | 25x14.
        
               | wongarsu wrote:
               | The core issue with 4k on Mac is that unlike Windows or
               | Linux, Mac doesn't have usable 125%, 150% or 175% scaling
               | modes. But at 1x font rendering on Macs sucks, and at 2x
               | you basically have a fancy 1080p screen; it just doesn't
               | fit as much as an unscaled 1440p screen.
               | 
               | This forces you into 5k screens, or tricks to make the OS
               | do actually useful scaling.
        
         | sirsinsalot wrote:
         | My 5k2k LG 40WP95C-W is an absolute dream. Worth every penny
         | for dev.
        
           | liamwire wrote:
           | Could you expand on this a bit? How's the ergonomics, window
           | management, etc?
        
             | sirsinsalot wrote:
             | The curve is just right, the width is just right at ~60cm
             | away. The ratio is the real winner. I can split it into
             | thirds and each third has enough height (2160px) and width
             | (1706px) to be useful. Each third is taller than it is
             | wide, which is ideal for coding, web, documents.
             | 
             | It's more like having 3 portrait monitors for productivity
             | work. For media editing, splitting the monitor into 2 is
             | like a classic dual monitor setup with enough width for
             | widescreen video.
             | 
             | Then, if you really need it, it works great as a single
             | wide monitor without making the workspace too "letterbox"
             | like other ultrawides.
             | 
             | Honestly, for me, it is the absolute ideal.
        
           | ethanbond wrote:
           | I was within inches of buying this this holiday season but
           | was offput by people's brightness complaints. Figured I could
           | wait another iteration until either the brightness or the
           | refresh rate gets better... the 5K2K seems like _the move_
           | though.
        
             | sirsinsalot wrote:
             | In practice, the brightness and refresh rate have not been
             | an issue in a software development / home office setting.
             | It has been more than enough.
             | 
             | For gaming it isn't as desirable. HDR also gives the
             | brightness a boost for media so it is plenty fine for that
             | too.
             | 
             | The only thing that I found annoying is lack of inputs.
             | There is 1DP and 1TB, and 2 HDMI (60hz). I wanted at least
             | 2DP and 2TB to be super useful with a dock and a few other
             | inputs.
             | 
             | The size is perfect however.
             | 
             | If LG release an OLED version better brightness, you bet
             | i'll be ordering that too. It has been so ideal, the ROI
             | has been better than any monitor setup i've used.
        
               | ethanbond wrote:
               | This is really useful. Maybe I'll just yolo it and give
               | it a shot. Display panel advancement doesn't seem to be
               | as reliably "it'll come next cycle" anyway haha. Thank
               | you for your input!
        
         | vakz wrote:
         | On the contrary, I have a 49" 32:9 monitor, and for a laptop
         | it's wonderful. The support for a single monitor is just way
         | better than any dual (or more) setup.
         | 
         | I can just connect it directly to my laptop, and it just works.
         | When I had two displays I needed a docking station, and truth
         | is most of those out there suck. Unless you go for the top
         | models, and then you've lost all the money you saved on cheaper
         | monitors. In addition you generally need a thunderbolt
         | compatible dock, and that seems to come with it's own category
         | of issues, assuming your laptop even supports it.
         | 
         | Also found ultrawide easier to configure hotkeys for windows
         | management.
        
           | hau wrote:
           | I think you could daisy-chain DisplayPort MST monitors, so
           | that only first one would be connected to your laptop.
        
             | superjan wrote:
             | Does anybody know how to test if a monitor is compatible
             | with that? And is it plug and play?
        
               | liamwire wrote:
               | My understanding is that, yes, it's plug and play. If the
               | monitors have DisplayPort out, they should support daisy
               | chaining.
        
             | wongarsu wrote:
             | On windows and Linux this works great. I have two Dell
             | business screens, one with USB-C, a DP in and a DP out.
             | Just connect another screen to the DP out, and you get two
             | screens over one USB-C connection. Together with the
             | charging and USB hub provided by the screen this replaces a
             | docking station for me.
             | 
             | However, Macs have spotty support for this. I believe it
             | works on the newest Mac books, but not older generations,
             | and not the Mac mini?
        
               | Macha wrote:
               | It doesn't work on Macbooks. References to macbooks
               | supporting MST are about certain early high res monitors
               | that behaved internally as multiple monitors due to
               | bandwidth limitations on Displayport 1.2. That's fixed
               | with higher bandwidth newer DP and HDMI revisions so the
               | MST feature people care about these days is monitor
               | chaining, and that is still not supported even in M2
               | Macbook Pros
        
           | barnabee wrote:
           | The advantage I've found with multiple monitors is the
           | ability to independently switch the "desktop" that's showing
           | on each.
           | 
           | I can have a desktop for coding, a desktop for reference docs
           | and previews, another for working on non-coding tasks, one
           | with general browsing, one for chat/email/calendar, etc.
           | 
           | I've not found a satisfying way (on Mac OS on my Macbook or
           | with various WMs -- Sway is my go-to) to quickly replicate
           | this ability to have multiple task oriented sets of windows
           | visible at the same time and make them quickly switchable
           | without multiple physical screens.
        
             | walteweiss wrote:
             | How would you organise such a multiple display setup in
             | sway?
             | 
             | I use sway on my laptop only, but Gnome 45 and macOS is
             | easier for me, for now. When it comes to multiple displays.
             | The best feature of sway for me is the ability to assign
             | apps to their workspaces, and also assign hotkeys to these
             | workspaces. So e.g. cmd+alt+e opens Files app (nautilus)
             | and it's always on its files workspace that I activate with
             | cmd+e. Quite very useful for me. I almost never open
             | windows tiled, very seldom that I have two at one screen.
             | 
             | So with multiple displays, I am quite unsure how to
             | organise that, which logic to apply here. Maybe I alt-tab
             | out of old habit, but it's so much easier, cognitively
             | speaking, comparing to remembering all the logic for my
             | multiple displays setup.
        
               | bee_rider wrote:
               | I'm not sure what the high-level strategy is, but do note
               | that there's the                   move workspace to
               | output right
               | 
               | and so on bindings to help out. I'll typically keep a
               | workspace as "whatever windows I happen to have put in
               | it, over time" and then I'll bounce them around to
               | monitors as needed.
        
               | barnabee wrote:
               | Roughly speaking, my Sway config:
               | 
               | - Assigns most apps to a specific workspace
               | 
               | - Assigns the standard hotkeys to focus specific
               | workspaces
               | 
               | - Assigns a hotkey for Rofi to filter and focus apps
               | directly
               | 
               | - Assigns hotkeys to move a workspace to the current
               | output/display
               | 
               | - Sets hotkeys to move a workspace 1 output left/right
               | 
               | Now I can quickly bring the most relevant contexts for a
               | task to each display, and can also quickly switch to
               | another context and back as needed.
               | 
               | It's not perfect, but it's pretty good. I'd like some
               | apps to be on multiple workspaces, for example. And I am
               | exploring the idea of a way to search for and bring an
               | app onto the main display as a centered float temporarily
               | then dismiss it back to where it came from with a single
               | key -- for example to bring up a Slack channel front and
               | centre, reply to a message, then quickly dismiss it
               | again.
        
             | bobwaycott wrote:
             | I may be misunderstanding your description, but isn't this
             | how macOS built-in spaces already work? I use this daily,
             | and swap desktops with ctrl+left/right and the ctrl+num
             | keyboard shortcut to get direct space switching (I have 4
             | for roughly the same purposes as you describe). When using
             | multiple displays, I can even make each display have
             | independent spaces.
        
               | barnabee wrote:
               | It's exactly how it works but only if you have mutliple
               | screens.
               | 
               | My comment was that, for this reason, 2 or 3 smaller
               | (ish- ~27") 16:9 4k screens [1] (previously, 4-6 even
               | smaller 4:3 screens) works much better for me because I
               | can switch the spaces on my Macbook and i3/Sway virtual
               | desktops on my Linux machine individually for each
               | screen.
               | 
               | If we're talking about having a smaller number of giant
               | screens it would need to be able to be partitioned into
               | logical "zones" for virtual desktops to enable this way
               | of managing sets of windows together, and I've not found
               | anything that really does this, let alone does it well
               | (though honorable mention to HerbstluftWM [2] which I
               | think, with patience, could probably do something pretty
               | close).
               | 
               | [1] preferably 16:10 but that seems to have died out as
               | an aspect ratio :(
               | 
               | [2] https://herbstluftwm.org/
        
             | barefootcoder wrote:
             | I'm in complete agreement with you. I use i3 (still using
             | Xorg) and find the ability to have multiple desktops that I
             | can move atomically between monitors to be far better than
             | having to position windows individually. I put reference
             | material, chat, etc, on the side monitor and then can very
             | quickly move it back to the primary monitor when I need it.
             | I find a normal 16:9 monitor to be just right for two side
             | by side windows, or a tile of three, with one tall window
             | taking half of the screen and two terminals top and bottom
             | on the other side.
             | 
             | I hate using the mouse to manage windows, and having one
             | huge ultrawide just feels like a nightmare to manage -- I'd
             | need some way to split it logically into 2 or 3 virtual
             | monitors.
        
               | barnabee wrote:
               | With i3/Sway having the limitation of 1 workspace per
               | monitor AND each app only being in 1 workspace, I could
               | still use that logical splitting at times even on normal
               | 16:9 displays.
        
             | jwells89 wrote:
             | I do this too. Main monitor has sets of desktops for
             | "primary" tasks (e.g. IDE windows) while the secondary has
             | several "auxiliary" desktops (one for email, one for chat,
             | one for documentation, etc).
             | 
             | The ability to mix and match these between monitors is
             | seriously powerful and basically eliminates window
             | micromanagement and seriously curbs alt/cmd-tabbing.
             | Everything stays put as switching desktops becomes the
             | primary form of navigation.
        
           | Scrounger wrote:
           | > I needed a docking station, and truth is most of those out
           | there suck
           | 
           | Ain't that the truth.
           | 
           | The "top of the line" CalDigit docks are incredibly expensive
           | and buggy.
           | 
           | ...and they're on their 3rd or 4th iteration.
           | 
           | Plus not much competition, so not much choice either.
           | 
           | If I could go back, I would have also gotten a single
           | ultrawide monitor.
           | 
           | Plus Macbook Pros multiple monitor support sucks relative to
           | windows AFAIK.
        
             | loloquwowndueo wrote:
             | Dell docking stations have been rock-solid for me (the
             | laptop is also a Dell) and they can be had for quite cheap
             | (about 50% retail) on eBay. I also balked at the price of
             | caldigit units.
        
               | bartvk wrote:
               | Be very careful about Dell docking stations. It's not
               | always clear whether they're based on DisplayLink or real
               | Thunderbolt/USB-C. The problem with DisplayLink is that
               | a) you need a driver and b) after installing the driver,
               | some websites don't show video (Udemy for example). This
               | is on macOS, by the way.
        
               | loloquwowndueo wrote:
               | Mine worked great with the Dell laptop on Linux ;) no
               | drivers and video shows just fine. (Anecdata, I know)
        
               | cduzz wrote:
               | At $work they had a variety of dell docking stations
               | around the cube farm.
               | 
               | I use an old intel macbook running macos, and found that
               | the docking stations with usb-c didn't support secondary
               | video, while those with thunderbolt (usb-c with lightning
               | bolt) worked fine for all docking station needs
               | (secondary video, charging, USB keyboard / mouse / camera
               | / etc).
               | 
               | A thunderbolt docking station and a 24 inch 19:10 monitor
               | transformed my home office setup. Big monitor in portrait
               | mode in front of me, macbook to left, old IBM M4-1
               | (trackpoint) keyboard, webcam perched on top right corner
               | of macbook so I can have windows in either screen and it
               | kinda looks like I'm still looking toward the camera
               | instead of being rude.
               | 
               | I've found the biggest problem with the big monitor is
               | where to put the video call camera -- if you're looking
               | anywhere but toward the camera it looks like you're not
               | making eye contact with the people on the screen and it
               | seems "rude" because there's the impression that you're
               | not engaged.
        
               | jrmg wrote:
               | Ditto for Belkin docks. A Belkin Thunderbolt 3 dock can
               | sometimes be had from $20 on eBay if you're prepared to
               | get one with no cables.
        
             | bartvk wrote:
             | What's buggy about them? They've been pretty good to me.
        
             | cdstamper wrote:
             | In my experience CalDigit docks are really solid. The only
             | issue I've ever encountered is caused by my laptop
             | demanding more power than the dock will provide: when I hit
             | a power usage spike sometimes my laptop will briefly drop
             | connection with the dock, causing my display to momentarily
             | lose signal.
             | 
             | This is easily fixed by plugging my laptop into a separate
             | USB C power supply.
        
               | jwells89 wrote:
               | Same. I've had great luck with both the TS3+ and TS4.
               | What few minor gripes I've had with them have been
               | resolved by firmware updates.
               | 
               | It's other brands, especially USB-C (rather than
               | Thunderbolt) stuff that I find extraordinarily flaky.
        
         | peebeebee wrote:
         | I think 27" 4k with some scaling is a good spot indeed.
         | 
         | 32" 4k is nice as well, if you scale down to 2560x1440, or
         | 3008x1692. On 32" 2x scaling (1920x1080 is just too big, and
         | native (3840x2160) is just too small.
         | 
         | But if money is no problem, 3x 24" 4k, 2x 27" 5k, or 1x 32" 6k
         | is really the endgame. That 2x scaling is just soooo crisp. :)
        
           | grujicd wrote:
           | There are 32" monitors with native 2560x1440. I still prefer
           | that dpi to run Windows, where some apps still have problems
           | with hidpi scaling. It's mostly about older and niche apps,
           | but every now and then you encounter something that doesn't
           | scale well.
        
             | peebeebee wrote:
             | I do find that 4k with scaling still feels crispier than
             | native 2560x1440. And I also find myself switching between
             | 3008 and 2560 a lot, depending on the workload I have.
             | 2560x1440 is nicer for reading, 3008 is nicer for
             | programming, video editing, ...
        
               | fudged71 wrote:
               | I've been doing this lately as well, more screen real
               | estate for programming than for other tasks. It's been
               | working really well.
        
           | batperson wrote:
           | The PPI ratio for 32" 4k with no scaling is actually pretty
           | good (at least to my eye, since it's similar to my previous
           | 24" 1080p, 27" 1440p monitors). If we can agree on that, then
           | the solution is to just move the monitor closer to your eyes,
           | 3rd party monitor arms help with that.
        
             | peebeebee wrote:
             | 32" 4k = 137.68ppi. 27" 1440p = 108ppi. 24" 1080p =
             | 91.78ppi.
             | 
             | Significant difference. 32" 4k is not pleasant to read
             | natively, and bringing it that close that is would be
             | readable means you are putting things out of your focus and
             | you need to start moving your head a lot.
        
             | vladvasiliu wrote:
             | > then the solution is to just move the monitor closer to
             | your eyes
             | 
             | Depending on how close we're talking about, it may not be
             | so great, especially with a non-curved screen, because the
             | actual angle at the edges is possibly not so great anymore.
             | That's the case on my 32" LG, for example (with an IPS
             | panel, FWIW).
        
         | larodi wrote:
         | I find it difficult to actually figure the proper position
         | where the 27" Dell 4K (still very top notch) is just as far so
         | that I can see it and not have to move my head left and right.
         | 
         | Anything beyond this size may be OK for games, but too much
         | space and too much windows is actually too much of cognitive
         | load.
         | 
         | It is not a surprise that many ppl (not me though) start to
         | prefer full screen terminal rather than dozen windows arranged
         | in some disarray on a large screen.
        
           | quickthrower2 wrote:
           | I'm very happy with a laptop monitor and 1920x1080. Browser
           | goes on laptop monitor and code on the monitor.
           | 
           | I always will be. I am about condensing information to just
           | what I need.
        
             | sys_64738 wrote:
             | This is my work method but use just code (terminal window
             | driving tmux) on laptop monitor and 1920x1080 LCD for
             | browser and sundry.
        
             | carlhjerpe wrote:
             | Font rendering was my biggest QOL improvement with higher
             | PPI
        
           | williamdclt wrote:
           | I always thought that moving my head to look at another
           | monitor isn't really faster than pressing a key to make my
           | fullscreen terminal appear, especially if we start taking
           | cursor hunting into account
        
             | vladvasiliu wrote:
             | I agree it's not faster, especially when using a simple WM
             | with no animations.
             | 
             | However, I also find it easier to recall where I was
             | looking by moving my head between static content instead of
             | having it change.
             | 
             | FWIW I use a 32" screen positioned so that I barely need to
             | move my head to see it all, and try to have all things I'm
             | looking at visible at the same time.
        
             | globular-toast wrote:
             | I did think that for years and I scoffed at multi-monitor
             | setups thinking they were a poor imitation of the virtual
             | desktops that have been present on *nix systems forever.
             | But they are both good and complement each other.
             | 
             | I use virtual desktops as more to separate unrelated areas
             | of work (like different projects). It's like having a
             | completely different desk with different books open on it.
             | Having more screen space is just like having a bigger desk.
             | It's like having multiple books open on your desk at once
             | as opposed to picking up one at a time to look at it.
             | 
             | One big monitor would be ideal (it could be split into an
             | odd number of frames, for example), but in practice
             | multiple monitors is a good compromise between flexibility
             | and price.
        
             | joshspankit wrote:
             | Another thing that would be nice if it was easy to make: a
             | button to place the cursor where you're looking.
        
               | thfuran wrote:
               | I don't know whether the software side is there or if the
               | box, but it certainly seems like
               | https://gaming.tobii.com/product/eye-tracker-5/ ought to
               | be able to do that.
        
               | Arrath wrote:
               | I've always wanted window focus to go where I'm looking,
               | it would be so nice.
               | 
               | Probably with a modifier key though so I don't move out
               | of a game just to read a wiki page though.
        
           | pjerem wrote:
           | My dream monitor is a 22" 4K monitor. I searched it for a
           | decade and this creature just doesn't exists. There have
           | never been a single 4K monitor under 27".
           | 
           | The only thing that somehow could do the job would be iMac's
           | panels but I'm just not interested in an All in one and I
           | already have good enough computers.
        
             | kzemek wrote:
             | > There have never been a single 4K monitor under 27".
             | 
             | There's a few 24", Dell has at least a couple.
        
             | RodGodKiller wrote:
             | There used to be a 21-and-bit'' 4K LG Ultrafine. You might
             | be able to find it used.
        
             | robin_reala wrote:
             | There's four 24'' 4K monitors on Newegg right now, all LG: 
             | https://www.newegg.com/p/pl?N=101702297%20601205242%2060130
             | 5...
             | 
             | There's also this refurb 21.5'' 4K LG on Amazon:
             | https://www.amazon.com/LG-22MD4KA-B-UltraFine-
             | Display-4096x2...
             | 
             | And I've no idea about the quality, but the Dragon Touch S1
             | Pro 4K Portable Monitor is apparently 4K at 15.6'':
             | https://www.dragontouch.com/products/s1-pro-4k-portable-
             | moni...
        
           | barnabee wrote:
           | > I find it difficult to actually figure the proper position
           | where the 27" Dell 4K (still very top notch) is just as far
           | so that I can see it and not have to move my head left and
           | right.
           | 
           | > Anything beyond this size may be OK for games, but too much
           | space and too much windows is actually too much of cognitive
           | load.
           | 
           | I find the oppposite. The goal is not to be looking at
           | everything all of the time but to make anything I might want,
           | from key chat channels or monitoring dashboards, to my
           | calendar, reference docs, secondary source files, etc. to all
           | be "glanceable" within a given context.
           | 
           | I find a glance, even if it requires a turn of the head, is
           | far preferable and breaks my flow/immersion much less than
           | having to switch windows/desktops in place. It feels much
           | more natural to me to place things like my calendar in a
           | consistent physical place than to have everything intrude on
           | one place, and I find it much easier to build the muscle
           | memory for these glances.
           | 
           | The biggest downside is that travelling, even with a small
           | second monitor, completely breaks the setup.
        
         | zone411 wrote:
         | A 43'' 4K monitor in the middle and two 28" 16:18 LG DualUp
         | monitors on the sides is my recommendation for an unparalleled
         | setup for a large desk.
        
         | Joeri wrote:
         | It is surprising how much more affordable 4k displays are. I
         | was stuck finding a suitable display for my macbook being used
         | to the 5k iMac, and ended up with the 32 inch samsung m8, which
         | is one third what apple charges for the 5k studio display. I
         | find myself liking it more in practice than the 5k imac,
         | because while it is a bit less crisp, the colors once properly
         | set up are equally nice and the size is luxurious.
        
           | SomeoneFromCA wrote:
           | Well M8 is a VA. Good for movies, not as good for everything
           | else.
        
             | hosteur wrote:
             | Why is that? And what type is better and why?
        
               | wil421 wrote:
               | IPS panels have the best color accuracy and viewing
               | angles. VA can produce the best blacks but pixels are
               | slow to change. TN are the cheapest and historically have
               | the best refresh rates.
        
               | graphe wrote:
               | Among LCDs currently. Micro LED and OLED produce better
               | blacks.
        
             | layer8 wrote:
             | It depends. If text contrast is a priority, VA provides
             | better blacks. Personally I also can't stand IPS glow and
             | rather live with the VA off-axis gamma shift. OTOH, my
             | favorite VA monitor is now 15 years old and there is no
             | current replacement with the same picture quality. I'm
             | hoping for more OLED monitors coming out.
        
               | SomeoneFromCA wrote:
               | IPS black imho better choice (I own one). VA looks very
               | very bad with dark themes in IDE. Also, I do not know any
               | Eyesafe certified VA's. I am sensitive to blue light and
               | my eyes love Eyesafe certified panels.
        
         | andix wrote:
         | I don't get the point of a lot of monitors. My current setup is
         | a 4K 32" 16:9, which I do 98% of my work on. Everything on one
         | big screen.
         | 
         | I have another monitor next to it, which I sometimes use for to
         | put documentation on, a hot reloading web app I'm working on,
         | maybe a video I'm watching while doing some work, or a video
         | conference while I'm screen sharing. But turning my head to the
         | secondary monitor is too much of a burden to really use it a
         | lot. 80% of the time the second monitor is just empty.
        
           | xattt wrote:
           | I've got the LG 2-UP monitor and a plain-Jane 1080p monitor
           | in portrait mode. I use the second monitor for mostly-PDF
           | mostly-letter paper document review. I would love to find an
           | ergonomic reason for my org to purchase an eink monitor for
           | that, but I haven't come up with any excuses ;)
           | 
           | Two monitors let me compartmentalize my workflow. Window
           | management is otherwise too messy for my needs with a single
           | display.
        
             | ethanbond wrote:
             | What are your thoughts on the LG DualUp for programming
             | workflows?
        
               | BatFastard wrote:
               | I have a dual up from LG and it is the greatest coding
               | monitor ever made!
               | 
               | In Intellij and VSCode, I can see project outline, 120
               | columns of code, and DB details all on the same screen. I
               | use it as a side monitor, with main monitor being a Dell
               | 32 inch 4k.
        
               | xattt wrote:
               | I use it for R Studio occasionally, and I appreciate
               | being able to see my code and my data at the same time.
               | 
               | My main use is writing, and it can a little overwhelming
               | to see all my copy at once. I tend to fill out my screen
               | with other resources that I'll use.
               | 
               | Since it's an odd-ball ratio, built-in Windows 11 window
               | snapping also has some weird default behaviour that
               | assumes that I want my windows a third of the height and
               | stacked.
        
               | folkhack wrote:
               | I used an EIZO FlexScan EV2730Q (1:1), and upgraded to a
               | DualUp.
               | 
               | It is the best configuration I've found for programming
               | and CLI work. For gaming I typically use one of the
               | normal widescreens to the left/right of it.
               | 
               | Only downside I've found is that I screen share often,
               | and the odd aspect ratio means sometimes I have to use
               | one of the normal widescreens instead to avoid small text
               | on the audience's side.
               | 
               | Also I ran into some scaling issues on Mac but got past
               | these using BetterDisplay.
               | 
               | Overall - _love_ the LG DualUp, my only suggestion is to
               | pair it with a normal monitor :)
        
             | bloopernova wrote:
             | Does the LG display appear as 1 or 2 monitors in the OS?
             | 
             | I'm intrigued by it, potentially as a replacement for a
             | vertical screen, but I'm unsure if it would work well with
             | my Mac-based work environment.
        
               | xattt wrote:
               | It shows up as one device. The res you get depends on
               | your source. You won't get full res if your device only
               | has an older HDMI or Display Link output.
               | 
               | I've got it set up for occasional PIP with a Bay Trail
               | home server. That device has an HDMI out that does max
               | 1920 x 1080 and won't do the full width of 2560 x
               | whatever.
        
           | sbarre wrote:
           | I think it's down to personal preference, so obviously do
           | what works for you!
           | 
           | I have the triple-27" monitors @4k setup described
           | elsewhere..
           | 
           | Left-side monitor is Slack and Discord, and sometimes a File
           | explorer or other misc apps that usually live minimized
           | (Spotify, etc)
           | 
           | Center monitor is my IDE and terminal, or whatever "main" app
           | I'm working in at the moment (sometimes Lightroom etc)
           | 
           | Right-side monitor is work browser (we use GSuite so lots of
           | various tabs in GDrive, Calendar, Gmail, Docs etc)
           | 
           | You can certainly do this all on one screen, but I like to be
           | able to glance at those things while still having my main
           | screen laid out for ongoing work.
           | 
           | I also use multiple desktops so I have one for work and one
           | for personal, and I can swipe all 3 monitors over to a
           | different workspace with one key command, which makes macro
           | context switching easier.
        
             | ryandrake wrote:
             | Similar setup here since about 2015. 5K iMac in the center
             | and a thunderbolt display on either side (2560x1440). IDE,
             | terminals, and/or primary task in the center, application
             | output on the left side,
             | documentation/browsers/e-mail/calendar on the right.
             | 
             | My only complaint is one of the thunderbolt displays is
             | getting flaky. It likes to briefly turn itself off and on
             | again, and unfortunately Apple's braindead software flashes
             | all three monitors on and off when this happens. I've tried
             | replacing the display's power supply, main board, and
             | thunderbolt cable with no luck. Other than that, the setup
             | has been rock solid and being surrounded by monitors makes
             | me feel like I'm running The Matrix.
        
               | jwells89 wrote:
               | I have one of those Thunderbolt Displays and it's been a
               | trooper. Sitting at around a decade old now and still
               | works great. Its connector is getting worn out but as
               | long as I don't bump the TB2 - TB3 adapter it's connected
               | with it's solid.
               | 
               | It'll be a bummer when it finally goes. In addition to
               | being a secondary monitor it also gets used to test how
               | graphics appear on"normal" DPI displays (main monitor is
               | a Studio Display) and while decent 2560x1440 are now
               | cheap and ubiquitous none of them are going to be
               | controllable via keyboard without third party software.
        
             | andix wrote:
             | I heard about this kind of set up often, dedicated monitors
             | for dedicated applications/tasks. Great that it works for
             | you, for me it just doesn't seem to make any sense.
             | 
             | I usually use all the monitors for the task I'm currently
             | working on, and not for different serial tasks. For context
             | switches I use Alt+Tab or sometimes virtual desktops.
        
               | sbarre wrote:
               | Totally get that.. I actually don't like alt-tabbing
               | between windows, I find it clunky.. Much like you don't
               | like to turn your head to look at other screens.. :-)
               | 
               | Last detail to add is that I use Powertoys FancyZones in
               | Windows 10 to set up zones in my screens that let me snap
               | windows into specific layouts easily on the side
               | monitors, so setting up dedicated layouts per-monitor is
               | more intuitive and easy for me.
        
             | bhouston wrote:
             | You setup is similar to mine in terms of workflow but I
             | just have a single 48" split into three vertical panels.
        
             | J_Shelby_J wrote:
             | This kills deep work.
        
               | sbarre wrote:
               | Thanks for sharing your opinion! I don't have the same
               | experience, thankfully.
        
           | bluGill wrote:
           | Apps and window managers understand full screen. With my wide
           | monitori often want full height, but not full width this
           | needs manual adjustment to work. Windows can sometimes be
           | made full height (tripple click), but this somehow always
           | seems to get the wrong width
        
             | andix wrote:
             | I'm using most applications not in full screen mode, and
             | don't have a lot of issues with that on windows. I think
             | the only thing I commonly run in full screen is IDEs.
        
           | bloopernova wrote:
           | My setup has evolved over time and fits how I work now.
           | 
           | 3 screens, all 4K, in | - - arrangement (portrait, landscape,
           | landscape)
           | 
           | Left, vertical screen: terminals, Dash app, and
           | documentation.
           | 
           | Middle, horizontal screen: Emacs showing org-journal+org-
           | roam, VSCode, Firefox.
           | 
           | Right, horizontal screen: Chats and email, devtools from
           | Firefox, separate VSCode workspaces, etc.
           | 
           | Main problem I've ran into was the newer M1-based non-
           | Ultra/Max Macbook Pros don't support more than 2 external
           | displays unless you use DisplayLink which is CPU-based and
           | lags enough to notice. I wasn't able to convince our client
           | to buy a laptop that would support my layout :/
        
           | nbenitezl wrote:
           | I also have similar single monitor (a BENQ EW3270U) set to
           | 200% scale. I use Linux, and my productivity is good by
           | binding F1 to F5 keys to switch to different virtual
           | desktops.
           | 
           | F1 -> Terminals. (Wezterm showing 4 terminals in a 2x2 grid)
           | 
           | F2 -> Code editor or IDE. Sublime Text in my case.
           | 
           | F3 -> Internet Browser. Firefox with Container extension.
           | 
           | F4 -> File Manager or any other misc apps.
           | 
           | F5 -> unused
           | 
           | I'm so used to these keybindings, that when I'm on foreign
           | computers I involuntarily find myself pressing F1 or F3 when
           | I want to enter some command or browse some web page.
        
             | walteweiss wrote:
             | I do that as well, and I'm on a MacBook Pro. So when I'm on
             | MacBook Pro that has macOS, well, that's funny, as it takes
             | some time to remember what macOS is and how I had been
             | using it before.
        
           | gonzo41 wrote:
           | I started with a lot of monitors and I've ended up with just
           | one 27" UHD monitor. It works great and i like the focus it
           | forces on me.
        
             | andix wrote:
             | My 32" 4K is configured with 150% zoom on Windows. So it's
             | usable resolution is in practice the same as an UHD
             | monitor, just a bit sharper and bigger. More crisp fonts,
             | icons and images. Totally enough.
        
           | paholg wrote:
           | I use two displays with the same specs as yours, but have
           | them both vertical. Code goes on one, browser/documentation
           | on the other, and I don't have to turn my head too much to go
           | between them.
           | 
           | But then I _really_ like a vertical display for coding.
        
           | phil21 wrote:
           | It all depends on your workflow of course. I run 3 monitors
           | for my main workstation. Admittedly the third is mostly for
           | rare events (e.g. debugging a performance issue across many
           | services) or most of the time background TV/security cameras.
           | 
           | I get motion sick on anything over 27" so that kind of limits
           | my screen real-estate. I also like to be able to quickly
           | reference material across two apps without having to mess
           | around with window sizing or the like.
           | 
           | It's sort of like having two computers from back in the 90's
           | I guess, which is likely where I picked up the habit.
           | 
           | I still find it difficult to work on a laptop due to the lack
           | of a second display. It's fine, but not quite as mentally
           | satisfying to me.
           | 
           | I would also argue any ops-oriented position where you need
           | to have a lot of graphs and logging displayed at once can
           | benefit from multiple screens - or at least screen real
           | estate. Using multiple monitors for these setups is usually
           | more practical just due to desk layouts.
        
           | RoyalHenOil wrote:
           | I use three monitors for my multimedia development work, and
           | I can't imagine using fewer. I would get a fourth one if I
           | could.
           | 
           | #1: My main 4k monitor, where I do the bulk of my work. I
           | need the whole screen for this.
           | 
           | #2: My second 4k monitor, which I use for looking through
           | documentation, taking notes, and working with the file
           | system. (I have it split into quarters using PowerToys, but
           | it's still very busy with many overlapping windows that I
           | have to flip between frequently, which is why I wish I had a
           | fourth monitor.)
           | 
           | #3: My old Cintiq, which I use when I need to hand draw
           | something. In the meantime, it is dedicated to monitoring
           | communication with colleagues (it's too low res for much
           | else).
        
         | wil421 wrote:
         | 100% disagree. I went with 2 4K monitors years ago. When I
         | switched to an ultra wide lat year it was a night a day
         | difference. I wish I never bought 2 4k monitors (or dual
         | monitors at all). Ultra wide is perfect and has a more
         | functionality than a massive piece of each monitor's border in
         | the dead center of your vision.
        
           | graphe wrote:
           | Did you go with one large 4k monitor in front like he said?
        
           | penguin_booze wrote:
           | I, too, am in the ultrawide camp now. I initially bought a 4k
           | monitor. The default rendering was too small for my eyes. My
           | Linux didn't support fractional scaling; 200% scaling kind of
           | defeated the purpose of having a 4k monitor in the first
           | place--net real estate I got felt the same.
           | 
           | I then returned it and went for a flat 34" monitor (HP X34),
           | and I'm happy for it.
        
           | thfuran wrote:
           | Yeah, bezels midfield is no good. That's why _three_ monitors
           | is where it 's at. Or perhaps one of those 32:9 ones. But
           | many window managers make it easier to deal with multiple
           | monitors than one enormous one.
        
             | blocko wrote:
             | There's some jank involved depending on which combo of
             | x/wayland, window manager, and compositor you're using, but
             | if you can manage to get virtual monitors working on an
             | ultrawide it's great.
             | 
             | A lot of recent models also support "picture by picture"
             | mode, allowing you to connect two separate inputs to the
             | monitor and avoid doing anything in software.
        
           | Brian_K_White wrote:
           | They said one big one front and centered, and one to the
           | side. Who voluntarily sticks a gap right in front of
           | themselves?
        
           | dheera wrote:
           | I use 2 4K monitors, often with one connected to work
           | computer and one connected to personal computer.
           | 
           | When I'm not working I sometimes connect the work computer
           | display to a Chromecast or as a 2nd monitor to personal
           | computer.
           | 
           | Work computer is much shittier than personal computer and
           | doesn't support 2 monitors.
        
         | rollcat wrote:
         | Since this is now a personal preference/setup thread, I use a
         | single 43" 4k display at 1x.
         | 
         | Stacking window compositors do much better than tiling, it's
         | quite natural to just spread things around, wherever the best
         | place may be.
        
           | CPLX wrote:
           | I use a single 43" as my main display, and then also two 27"
           | displays in portrait mode on either side.
           | 
           | The 43" is where I actually work. The other two are like
           | static displays, the left one is slack on top and iMessage on
           | bottom. The right one is task list app on top and calendar on
           | bottom.
           | 
           | You get used to it pretty quick. It's just great for like
           | having a few conversations in progress without being
           | interrupted and so on. They're right there I'm just not
           | looking at them.
           | 
           | Not sure if it's decades of driving or something in the brain
           | but having static readout displays like that really doesn't
           | bother me the way trying to juggle everything on one screen
           | does. Reminds me of how a dashboard full of indicators in a
           | car can be constantly changing without feeling like it's
           | "interrupting" my ability to look at the road.
        
             | fudged71 wrote:
             | I'm on my way to this setup :) I have a 43" 4K and a 4K 27"
             | on a swivel. But driving 3 displays I'll need to upgrade
             | from an M1 MBP.
        
               | CPLX wrote:
               | I'm using a Mac Studio and love it.
        
         | ChrisMarshallNY wrote:
         | I use a 5120 X 1440, 49" ultrawide.
         | 
         | It's one of those things that I never knew I couldn't live
         | without, until I had it.
         | 
         | Running my laptop (with a much greater pixel density) is
         | downright painful.
         | 
         | Disclaimer: I'm 61, so all those packed-in pixels are wasted on
         | me.
        
         | batch12 wrote:
         | I have both, an ultra wide in the middle and two curved
         | monitors on each side with the edges touching. It works great
         | for me
        
         | nickjj wrote:
         | > I personally use 3 x 27 inch 4K
         | 
         | Are you able to read text at 1:1 native scaling?
         | 
         | I believe once you reach 150% scaling, you end up with the same
         | screen real estate as a 2560x1440 monitor. 200% scaling is the
         | same as 1080p.
        
           | spiffytech wrote:
           | Indeed: I like ultrawides so I can see more stuff at the same
           | physical size. I only want greater pixel density to he crisp
           | rendering.
           | 
           | If I had a taller, 16:9 version of my 49" 32:9 ultrawide, I
           | think that much screen would swallow me alive.
        
           | bdavbdav wrote:
           | That's true - but the text is soooo nice (especially on Mac
           | OS)
        
         | beezle wrote:
         | I'm working on a new build to replace my 11 yr old system.
         | Monitors are a vexxing issue as I have competing needs -
         | general/coding use and photo editing. As I'm working with 40+MP
         | images, I'd like to have a screen with as high a resolution as
         | possible to minimize the need to zoom in and out.
         | 
         | However, then you run into the need to do display scaling for
         | UI elements for everything else. Windows mostly works in that
         | regard and when it does not it is often the program in use that
         | is not quite up to snuff.
         | 
         | After a lot of research, it seems to me the best approach is
         | trying to get the resolution you want at a physical size that
         | doesn't require excessive scaling (like 300%) as after all, we
         | all want more desktop real estate and scaling reduces the
         | effective resolution for most non-photo/video apps.
         | 
         | I've been looking closely at the Dell Ultrasharp 32" 6K
         | monitor. The dpi is a little high at 223 but it will fit about
         | 75% of an uncropped photo. I'd likely also get one of the LG
         | dual UPs as well.
         | 
         | The one issue with both monitors, disappointing for the price
         | of the Dell, is they are 8bit+FRC panels. Don't want to find
         | out that I'm one of those who are sensitive to flicker or that
         | the panel does not age well. At least the Dell is a 3yr
         | warranty and the LG can be had in a commercial version that has
         | 3 yr too.
        
         | kadoban wrote:
         | It's unclear to me why we'd be optimizing solely for pixels or
         | pixels/$.
         | 
         | I personally like my wide monitor, and I don't even
         | particularly care to go for more pixels when available, ie my
         | preferred resolution is ~1440p. They're nice and cheap, they
         | look good to me, and they're easy to drive for the gpu.
         | 
         | I go more for deep blacks and good colors, pixels just look
         | good until your eyes adjust and then it's all the same.
        
           | calfuris wrote:
           | For me, it's about screen real estate, not looks. More pixels
           | is more usable space, until you have to start scaling things
           | up for comfort. I find a 27 inch 4k monitor to be comfortable
           | without scaling, but I think it's just about the limit for
           | me, and I expect that the PPI limit varies from person to
           | person.
        
         | nevir wrote:
         | 5k x 2k has been worth every penny
        
         | zeitlupe wrote:
         | The problem with multiple monitors for me is that you have to
         | turn your head very wide to look onto the adjacent screens'
         | center, which is definitely not ergonomic and healthy.
         | 
         | That being said, it is still my current setup as this wide turn
         | holds me off from looking at the second screen, where slack and
         | other distracting stuff is placed.
        
       | johmue wrote:
       | you sir, should go to prison for your crimes :)
        
       | pxtail wrote:
       | I'm using 3 monitors currently (one vertical) and I'm used to
       | utilizing keyboard shortcuts for moving windows between screens -
       | for example I can move window onto vertical screen and then into
       | bottom half of it, all using keyboard.
       | 
       | The question for people using single ultrawide screen instead of
       | multiples - is something like this possible to achieve? are you
       | able to define virtual "regions" on the screen space to move
       | windows there?
        
         | zakary wrote:
         | Yes you can. On Mac keyboard maestro will do exactly that. On
         | windows it's Autohotkey.
        
         | crogre wrote:
         | Sure, you can use xrandr to create virtual monitors. Works
         | great with i3 at least!
        
         | tuzemec wrote:
         | I'm using Rectangle[1] on Mac for this. But Raycast also has
         | some functionality in that direction.
         | 
         | [1] - https://rectangleapp.com/
        
       | JoachimS wrote:
       | This triggers my OCD! Esp having a single degree off.
        
       | CrzyLngPwd wrote:
       | I have three 2160x3840 27inch screens in a H layout, with the
       | side screens vertical. I use FancyZones windows PowerToy to
       | create drop zones on the side screens, and so can just drop
       | terminals/slack/browser windows there.
       | 
       | It's been a transformative layout for coding and managing
       | machines.
        
       | JoachimS wrote:
       | The multiple screen setup from Swordfish is starting to feel old.
       | 
       | https://www.reddit.com/r/geek/comments/1ds9en/from_the_movie...
        
       | sirsinsalot wrote:
       | I've had 3 monitor setups for decades. Then I got an ultra wide
       | Samsung CRG9 at 49" and 5120x1440... Which was terrible. Too wide
       | and not tall enough.
       | 
       | Now I have the LG 40WP95C-W at 40" and 5120x2160 and it is
       | perfect. Especially with window tiling that does thirds well.
        
         | LegitShady wrote:
         | I've been using the CRG9 for 3 years without issue. I use
         | fancyzones to create 3 "window" areas - a thin chat window, the
         | main middle window, and a side research/reference/video window.
         | 
         | When I'm not working it makes for amazing ultrawide gaming. A
         | video card to push the resolution is actually possible without
         | a new mortgage. I don't understand the whole too wide thing
         | tbh.
         | 
         | Only thing I wish is that it had better HDR with more zones,
         | but it was a pretty early example of this kind of thing I think
         | so can't have everything.
         | 
         | Maybe if I find an LG c2/c3 43" OLED for a good price I'll get
         | that instead, but for now this thing is awesome enough.
        
           | sirsinsalot wrote:
           | I just found I spent more time battling the aspect ratio than
           | anything else. It isn't that it was too wide (though it was,
           | for me) ... it's that it wasn't tall enough (pixel wise) for
           | the width. This meant I never quite had enough height for ANY
           | comfortable IDE/document/web usage.
           | 
           | Being able to have 4 or 5 non-ideal height windows side-by-
           | side was just 4 or 5 times as annoying for me.
           | 
           | The LG solves all the issues I had with the Samsung. I get
           | the same width in pixels, in a smaller dimension (so reduced
           | head movement) and I get more pixel height.
           | 
           | For those benefits, as I am not a gamer, I happily sold the
           | CRG9 and accepted lower (but still fine on the eyes) refresh
           | rates.
           | 
           | Couldn't be happer. I used the CRG9 for a few years, it had
           | to go.
        
       | ulrischa wrote:
       | I use one 90 degree and one 0 degree
        
       | JoshTriplett wrote:
       | While this article presents it in a humorous way, some air
       | traffic control systems actually do use a diagonally rotated
       | screen, with that "long line" being lined up with the primary
       | approach to the airport. The setup I got to observe involved
       | large displays that worked with stylus input.
       | 
       | These weren't ultra-widescreen displays; they were relatively
       | standard aspect-ratio displays, rotated at an angle.
        
         | bobowzki wrote:
         | I would love to see a photo of this setup.
        
           | greggsy wrote:
           | I just scrolled through half a dozen ATC tower tour videos on
           | YouTube and didn't see any skewed displays, but it's possible
           | that they 1) they tidied it up for the tour, or 2) they just
           | didn't apply this approach in those particular sites.
           | 
           | I'm still very interested to see this novel application.
        
             | mike256 wrote:
             | I think most replaced them with ultra wide screens
        
             | marcosdumay wrote:
             | I've been in a few airport towers in Brazil, and never seen
             | a diagonal screen.
             | 
             | It may be a regional thing, or a small clique. Or it may be
             | best for some software that is long gone.
        
               | bobowzki wrote:
               | Really, I would be pretty interested to hear your story.
               | I've been a lot to Brazil.
        
               | marcosdumay wrote:
               | It's not that interesting, I used to work inspecting
               | airport fire-fighters. That required talking to the
               | people on the tower.
        
             | JoshTriplett wrote:
             | This was more than a decade ago, and they may have moved to
             | a different approach since then. At the time of the tour I
             | took, ultra-widescreen monitors didn't exist.
             | 
             | IIRC it was a large Wacom or similar display.
        
         | Cthulhu_ wrote:
         | I tried to google as well (like another commenter), I did find
         | a lot of 1:1 ratio screens though; I wouldn't mind that I
         | think.
        
           | bboygravity wrote:
           | I use a phone with a 1:1 screen. Unihertz Titan in case
           | you're curious.
        
             | walteweiss wrote:
             | Tell us more! Why is so, is it useful?
        
               | ponector wrote:
               | The second question is about keyboard. Is it useful?
        
             | meowface wrote:
             | This is not a complaint about the phone but, God, visiting
             | that website is a nightmare. Immediately hit with a sudden
             | sound notification, a chat widget, a popup, and random
             | decorations scattered all over the screen.
             | 
             | https://i.imgur.com/CgOMjio.png
        
               | pwg wrote:
               | UblockOrigin - set to default block all javascript on the
               | website, and one gets no "sudden sound notification", no
               | "chat widget", no "popup" and no "random decorations".
        
             | somat wrote:
             | The blackberry passport had a square screen as well, I
             | thought it was pretty great.
        
           | intrasight wrote:
           | I was involved in the US air traffic control system upgrade
           | in the early 90s as a software subcontractor. They were using
           | Sony 2k square CRT monitors. If I recall correctly, they cost
           | about $20k each - in 1990 dollars - partially due to the
           | hardware subsystem for antialiasing.
           | 
           | Googling, I see that this is the replacement monitor:
           | 
           | https://www.aydindisplays.com/2k-x-2k-air-traffic-control-
           | di...
        
             | jiggawatts wrote:
             | Why would anyone make an LCD specifically for ATC
             | displays!? From what I can see, it's just an ordinary LCD
             | monitor! Sure the 1:1 aspect ratio is a bit weird, but
             | that's not worth $20K...
        
               | Rebelgecko wrote:
               | The ability to have a redundant power supply seems like
               | it might fill a niche
        
               | evil-olive wrote:
               | looking at the datasheet [0], it has a lot of specialized
               | ports that I would never need, but I wouldn't be
               | surprised if an ATC tower somewhere needed it for obscure
               | compatibility reasons. 5x BNC for analog input, for
               | example. also multiple serial ports for remote controls
               | of some kind, and SNMP support.
               | 
               | the field-replaceable backlight seems to be a big selling
               | point too.
               | 
               | 0: https://440148.fs1.hubspotusercontent-
               | na1.net/hubfs/440148/A...
        
               | jiggawatts wrote:
               | Typical enterprise logic: $20K for an ordinary display
               | that can be "repaired in the field" and comes with
               | "support", instead of $200 for a display that can be
               | replaced _in its entirety_ for... $200.
        
               | bogantech wrote:
               | The $200 monitor can be replaced in its entirety but then
               | union rules mean you need a full-time union tech to swap
               | it out and you need a bunch of them on payroll to ensure
               | you have 24/7 coverage vs a vendor support contract
        
               | seanp2k2 wrote:
               | Not just enterprise logic, but _enterprise serving the
               | public sector_ logic. Get those sweet, sweet tax dollars.
               | 
               | You should see how much medical displays are for things
               | like looking at ultrasounds / MRI / xray images.
        
               | faeriechangling wrote:
               | Biggest change in mentality I saw moving from SMB to
               | enterprise is that in SMB I just kept bought through
               | consumer, often on sale, sometimes used, and kept extra
               | stock.
               | 
               | Enterprise as little as a 8gb sodimm is treated as un-
               | obtainium and costs like $200 or something because it's
               | special compatibility tested and supported ram. I would
               | see hundreds of 1080p monitors replaced with... hundreds
               | of new 1080p monitors from a different vendor because
               | management bought everything as a package deal form the
               | vendor. The monitor was treated as an essential part of
               | the vendors enterprise offering and one couldn't very
               | well use another vendors monitors with their docks.
        
       | jeffrallen wrote:
       | Another example of "Wayland breaks everything". I mean, come on,
       | 2021 and it can't even arbitrarily transform the screen with
       | matrixes?" /s
        
         | flexagoon wrote:
         | To be fair, since Wayland allows nested sessions, you can
         | probably implement a Wayland compositor that can only display a
         | single app full-screen with a given rotation, and then use that
         | to launch any other Wayland session (eg. gnome)
        
       | krisoft wrote:
       | I don't know about the ideal orientation, but i prefer my monitor
       | to not spin relative to my desk. :) Which of course means that it
       | should slowly rotate around once a day to keep it in sync with
       | the Earth (when seen from an innertial fixed coordinate system).
       | 
       | But that made me think. Maybe the optimal solution is one with a
       | circular table (rotating in sync with the Earth, thus appearing
       | motionless) and a monitor which spins around the normal axis of
       | the table to force me to chase it around. Maybe it could have
       | different tempo settings. A slow one which makes the user
       | reposition every half an hour or so, a faster one for cardio, and
       | an even faster one for volumetric persistence of vision
       | applications.
        
       | camillomiller wrote:
       | The visual disorder this creates would kill my productivity
       | INSTANTLY.
        
       | reqo wrote:
       | I am sorry but is that a password on the pink post-it note?
        
         | quickthrower2 wrote:
         | Nothing to see here, just Azure's storage master encryption key
         | or something.
        
         | timeinput wrote:
         | Looks like base64 text but when I run `echo aHVudGVyMgo= |
         | base64 -d` the output is just `*******` weird.
        
           | yonrg wrote:
           | I love that
        
       | notorandit wrote:
       | I use two monitors. A 28" UHD for running the code editor and
       | (sometimes) a few terminals. A 24" FHD for one or two browsers.
       | They are set side-to-side, not aligned to somwhow mimic curved
       | displays. They are set at 0 degrees.
        
       | amelius wrote:
       | What is the correct terminology for "monitor rotation"? I want a
       | monitor that can rotate, but using "rotation" as a keyword does
       | not bring up many relevant results.
        
         | edward28 wrote:
         | It depends on the stand really. You can get VESA compatible
         | monitor arm and rotate as many degrees as you like.
        
         | liamwire wrote:
         | Perhaps _monitor orientation_?
        
       | gfiorav wrote:
       | programmers will literally rotate their screen 22 degrees instead
       | of embracing the 79 columns limit
        
       | KronisLV wrote:
       | Right now, I have four 16:9 monitors at 1080p each. Previously I
       | used some of them in vertical orientation which is great for
       | reading code, but window snapping used to be a bit weird
       | sometimes.
       | 
       | It's not too much of a problem on Linux, but on Windows I
       | absolutely needed FancyZones: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-
       | us/windows/powertoys/fancyzon... (hold SHIFT and drag window to
       | snap, supports custom zones, like vertically splitting a monitor
       | into two etc.)
       | 
       | As for larger resolution monitors, I had one at work and it was
       | nice, but my own GPU would struggle with most fullscreen stuff
       | and games in my free time, so maybe 1080p isn't all that bad
       | (especially when wanting to record something without downsampling
       | or struggling with DPI making things unreadable at anything below
       | 1080p in the video file).
        
         | tbyehl wrote:
         | I wasn't aware that PowerToys had that, so thanks for pointing
         | it out. In general I've been satisfied with the built-in Snap
         | feature but since getting a 49" 32:9 1440p monitor I've been
         | wishing the 3-column options offered horizontal splits.
        
           | user_7832 wrote:
           | > I've been wishing the 3-column options offered horizontal
           | splits
           | 
           | If you're referring to the PowerToys feature, you can
           | customise your own layout too btw
        
       | bhouston wrote:
       | I just purchased a 48" monitor as my primary monitor. No need to
       | worry about rotation, I just have a massive screen in front of
       | me.
       | 
       | I think that for some people people are scared of large monitors
       | in front of them, but once you use one, you realize that using
       | small monitors (e.g. 27 or 32") in single or dual or triple
       | arrangements is just ridiculous complex. One big monitor is way
       | way better.
       | 
       | Large monitors are the future, it is just that people are not yet
       | comfortable buying them for some reason.
        
         | sapiogram wrote:
         | Might be an issue of software support, it just "feels" easier
         | to have two monitors instead of using one monitor as two.
         | 
         | Related: what's your window management setup?
        
           | bhouston wrote:
           | I am on MacOS so I use RectanglePro. Simple but it works.
           | 
           | My main layout is 3 vertical panels, one with vscode, one
           | with web browser and debugger and the last is utility
           | (another vscode or browser or slack or discord etc.)
        
         | codingdave wrote:
         | I've got a 48" monitor, too. I also have 2 27" monitors, one
         | one each side in portrait mode. But I'm not sure why you think
         | multiple monitors is complex - plug them in, drag windows over
         | to the side as needed, and go about your work.
        
           | aldanor wrote:
           | I had 2x27'' at work for years and now I have 1x49'' at home.
           | Main difference is, on the 49 I can place a single 27''-sized
           | window in the centre.
        
           | bhouston wrote:
           | I mean managing space on small multiple screens. The
           | technical aspects are not complex but having to manage a
           | small amount of screeen real estate is annoying, especially
           | across multiple screens.
        
         | sys_64738 wrote:
         | I don't always want to use the full screen of any monitor so I
         | find I prefer smaller so I can switch off the other monitors
         | when needed. That presents its own challenges but I like to use
         | fullscreen for web browsing and such like. That doesn't work on
         | massive screens.
        
         | dsr_ wrote:
         | If you have a 48" 4K monitor, what you have is:
         | 
         | + 4x 24" 1080P without bezels
         | 
         | - 4x 24" 1080P in a fixed grid with no flexibility
         | 
         | Different people have different preferences, and that's ok.
        
         | cpach wrote:
         | So, one size fits all?
        
         | norir wrote:
         | I am uncomfortable buying them because I find working at a desk
         | with a large monitor uncomfortable and I don't see any personal
         | advantage to the extra real estate for coding. I have plenty of
         | space on a 16" laptop for three vertical terminal panes: One
         | for editing, one for docs and one for shell commands. If I need
         | to search something on the web, I can cmd-H to switch spaces
         | and cmd-L back to the terminal. Since my workflow works on my
         | laptop, it works _anywhere_ I go.
         | 
         | Obviously, my workflow is not for everyone, but I pretty
         | strongly doubt that large monitors are the future for most
         | people and am almost positive that they aren't the future for
         | me.
        
         | leptons wrote:
         | I'm waiting for an 8k curved 55" screen. Has to be curved.
         | 
         | I'm currently using three 4k 32" screens in portrait, which is
         | equivalent to about a 55" single screen.
        
       | downboots wrote:
       | Upgrade: attach accelerometer to monitor and have it update as
       | you rotate it
        
       | davidy123 wrote:
       | I haven't seen this config mentioned yet, but I have two
       | displays; a LG SDQHD 28" 8:9 2560x2880 on the left, and a LG 49"
       | 21:9 55120x2160 ultrawide curved on the right, with a slight
       | angle joining them in a "hinge."
       | 
       | I use multiple virtual desktops, for dev I have a terminal on the
       | left and the IDE on the right. This was the best config I could
       | find where I had enough on the screens I didn't need to flip
       | between panes frequently, yet it wasn't overwhelming and lets the
       | actual window view behind the displays through, and I can
       | comfortably focus on key areas and look around with craning my
       | neck too much.
       | 
       | If the displays were backing a wall, I might try an 8k 65"
       | display, but I would mainly use the comfortable part of it, and
       | let the rest be ambient info. That could be magnificent with an
       | OLED display. Though I think it would make sense to be curved and
       | they aren't common anymore. Who knows, maybe a VR headset will be
       | a better choice in a few years.
       | 
       | I've been working a lot on the idea of ambient info. I use KDE's
       | html wallpaper feature to provide a dynamic graph view of my
       | environment.
        
         | Bellyache5 wrote:
         | I would love to see a picture of your setup.
        
           | davidy123 wrote:
           | Sure, https://i.imgur.com/drvwqhj.png
           | 
           | The displays are connected to a workstation. I use barrier
           | between the systems (except the right hand locked down one).
           | 
           | Like anything else it's a constant work in progress, but I'm
           | fairly happy with it.
        
         | stopyellingatme wrote:
         | This is pretty much my exact setup and I love it. One ultrawide
         | with an LG DualUp on the side. Highly recommend.
        
       | vermaden wrote:
       | Its just another Xorg/X11 feature that overrated Wayland does not
       | have.
       | 
       | It works the same on FreeBSD and Illumos - its not limited to
       | Linux in any way.
       | 
       | Below example from my http://vermaden.wordpress.com/freebsd-
       | desktop setup.
       | 
       | - https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GChSlZHXIAEgT8T?format=jpg&name=...
       | 
       | - https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GChSlbFWUAA0x6G?format=jpg&name=...
       | 
       | Regards,
       | 
       | vermaden
        
         | tchaffee wrote:
         | Who is overrating Wayland?
        
       | petecooper wrote:
       | Since we're sharing...
       | 
       | I use 3x Dell P2715Q in portrait mode, side by side, 1440 x 2560
       | for an equivalent resolution of 4320 x 2560 (27:16), at a stand
       | up IKEA Jerker desk.
        
       | pcx wrote:
       | This is really neat! Loved it
        
       | Brian_K_White wrote:
       | Hah, before looking at the link I was going to say two monitors,
       | one over the other, top turned 45deg clockwise, bottom 45deg ccw,
       | forming a big ">".
       | 
       | You know, to fit the huge nest. :)
        
       | hahamaster wrote:
       | Ever since I got presbyopia a couple of years back, I have lost
       | tolerance for large screens. You constantly have to move yourself
       | to have things in focus. Alt-tabbing on a smaller screen is much
       | easier.
        
       | kkfx wrote:
       | I've had a handful of setups, a classic single monitor from 4:3,
       | then 16:10, than 16:9 and now 21:9. I've added a second vertical
       | monitor, two twin large vertical, main vertical, secondary
       | horizontal... Well in the end I'm happy enough with a single 21:9
       | FLAT WQHD. Game devs might not like the aspect ratio, but with
       | EXWM, Firefox with tab-center reborn, casual simple split view
       | etc it's good enough.
       | 
       | I prefer avoid curved ones because they feel strange if we are
       | not "at the right distance" and I like to be distant a bit and I
       | use a standing desk with a magnetic treadmill for the standing
       | part so my distance vary, but the real conclusion is: a good
       | monitor is a LARGE one. Rotation does not matter much if the
       | overall dimensions are large enough.
        
       | HarHarVeryFunny wrote:
       | If you've got an ultra wide monitor, maybe spin it and go for
       | persistence of vision effect and a huge circular display? Could
       | double as a fan to help spread all the heat generated by the GPU
       | having to redraw it nonstop!
        
         | mrblampo wrote:
         | Made me laugh out loud
        
           | Y_Y wrote:
           | One day such a thing might be so common that society will be
           | forced to invent an abbreviation for that
        
             | lanternfish wrote:
             | And maybe even one day, the abbreviation will become so
             | ubiquitous that it becomes divorced in practice from the
             | original referent.
        
         | riwsky wrote:
         | this hertz to think about
        
         | fudged71 wrote:
         | There was a "spinning gaming monitor" on my YouTube feed just a
         | few days ago: https://youtu.be/J6P3o6zrqsc?si=NUB7YviQNYoSW7Vi
        
           | HarHarVeryFunny wrote:
           | Neat, but imagine the sheer fear factor of a 34" ultrawide
           | monitor whipping around at 60Hz 18" in front of your face!
        
             | graypegg wrote:
             | Adrenaline is good for gaming!... I bet?
             | 
             | If you have it going 3600rpm for 60hz uh... th axis refresh
             | rate (?), you have a pretty tough monitor. Now I'm
             | wondering if you could mount it to 2 really fast linear
             | actuators perpendicularly attached each other. One
             | connected to the desk vertically, and the other fixed to
             | it, with its business end mounted to the monitor.
             | 
             | Now (considering the monitor doesn't explode from the
             | inertia) you could tile an area larger than the monitor
             | itself. Could even adjust on the fly, so you can drag a
             | window off the screen and it just starts vibrating more and
             | more violently.
        
               | HarHarVeryFunny wrote:
               | Yes, that sounds truly terrifying! :)
               | 
               | Combination of vibrations and actuators fighting the
               | gyroscopic effect of the off-axis spinning monitor would
               | risk the whole thing violently ripping itself off the
               | desk.
               | 
               | Would certainly be exciting!
        
               | BuildTheRobots wrote:
               | I feel the need to point out that this is why mechanical
               | TV never scaled. From very old memory, if you wanted a
               | 40" screen then the wheel needed to be two stories high.
               | 
               | Ben Heck[0] and Technology Connections[1] videos.
               | 
               | [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eI0TtyVEcs8 [1]
               | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5OANXk-6-w
        
             | riwsky wrote:
             | Huge fan
        
               | cranky908canuck wrote:
               | It sure would be!
        
         | Dylan16807 wrote:
         | Most compositors already do redraw constantly, because it takes
         | almost no work on a modern chip. An extra shift and rotate
         | would not be noticed.
        
           | HarHarVeryFunny wrote:
           | Well, normally only when something changes.
           | 
           | For a rotating persistence-of-vision display you need to
           | redraw everything as soon as it's physical position has
           | shifted a "pixel". i.e. non-stop, regardless of whether the
           | content has changed or not.
        
             | Dylan16807 wrote:
             | > normally only when something changes
             | 
             | Do they bother? Throwing a dozen windows together is really
             | easy.
             | 
             | > For a rotating persistence-of-vision display you need to
             | redraw everything as soon as it's physical position has
             | shifted
             | 
             | You do have to redraw. Which means you have a non-moving
             | buffer that covers the entire display area, and you have to
             | render it to the screen every frame.
             | 
             | That's _one_ big quad. A scaled up SNES could do that with
             | mode 7. It 's utterly trivial.
        
       | qwerty456127 wrote:
       | Whatever a diagonal rotation essentially is the same like using a
       | big display of classic aspect ratio with two corners blocked.
       | What is the benefit of not having these corners present? Why not
       | just buy a 45-inch 4k display, put it right in front of you
       | (instead of a TV-like distance) and use it with 100% (or close to
       | it, maybe also tweak some fonts) scaling? I actually do it this
       | way and I fail to understand how can a wide&low display placed
       | diagonally feel better.
        
       | intrasight wrote:
       | This hits home as an topic of interest. Last week, I build a new
       | workstation. Now I am confronted with the monitor decision.
       | 
       | My current workstation has side by side 24" 1920x1200
       | 
       | Things I'm considering:
       | 
       | Stick with side by side 24" 1920x1200 - Asus PA248QV ~$400 total
       | 
       | Two LG DualUp ~$1000 total
       | 
       | One 5k2k such as Dell U4021QW or LG 40WP95C-W ~$1800 total
       | 
       | One UHD 4K like LG OLED 48GQ90B-B ~$900
       | 
       | While I'm accustomed to the gap between my two monitors, I've
       | never much liked it. The Asus gap will be smaller than with my
       | current Dell.
       | 
       | But I do like having each computer "full screen". With one big
       | monitor I loose the gap but I also end up with computers that
       | float in the space of that large monitor. Not sure if that'll bug
       | me.
       | 
       | While 1200px height is enough most of the time, I do want more -
       | like 50% more would be great.
       | 
       | Much of my work is RDP based. I just Googled to find that the
       | maximum vertical resolution is 2048, which is less than the
       | DualUp vertical resolution. Is Google correct?
       | 
       | Curious how others resolved these competing visions (pun
       | intended).
        
         | tom_ wrote:
         | For whatever it's worth, I often use my work PC via the default
         | Windows 10 Remote Desktop client on my laptop (old 15" Macbook
         | Pro, running Windows via Boot Camp): 1 x 2880x1800 hi-DPI
         | display, 2 x normal-DPI 1440x2560 portrait displays. Remote
         | Desktop seems to have no problem using every pixel.
         | 
         | A lot of stuff does get confused by the mixed-DPI setup, but
         | it's not obviously different from running the same programs
         | locally.
        
       | geocrasher wrote:
       | In the last year, I've gone from
       | 
       | 1x portrait 24" next to 2x landscape 24"'s on top of each other,
       | all 1080p
       | 
       | Then switched to
       | 
       | 1x 35" UWQHD 3440x1440 curved and 1x 24" 1080p monitor
       | 
       | Then was gifted the Mother Of All Monitors.
       | 
       | 43" 3840x2160. The only thing it misses is a slight curve. Still,
       | it's _incredible_.
       | 
       | The 43" 4K monitor is essentially an endless combination of
       | portrait and landscape monitors. Window size/shape no longer
       | matters.
       | 
       | Try it. You'll like it.
        
       | stratigos wrote:
       | Is this article satire? Do people actually make naive assumptions
       | that line-length limits in code relate to screen sizes?
        
       | jimbobthrowawy wrote:
       | Thank goodness. I was wondering how to achieve this when I first
       | started messing around with xrandr back in ~2016 and saw that the
       | rotation option wasn't limited to the four orthogonal directions,
       | but would get a black screen any time I went for something
       | unsquare. Didn't know you had to mark out the edges.
       | 
       | Another fun xrandr feature is not needing to have your display
       | areas touch at the edges, so you can make your screens space
       | accurate and lose your cursor and parts of windows behind bezels.
       | You can have them overlap too, so you could have part of your
       | screen shown on multiple displays.
       | 
       | I'm glad this functionality wasn't hampered by questions of
       | necessity.
        
       | javier_e06 wrote:
       | The irony in my case is that I have a 4k 32" where my window apps
       | live in the center of the monitor never maximized and the
       | stickies go on the 2 black bands on each side.
       | 
       | It makes for a 3D texture monitor with task and reminders that I
       | pull off and crush with my hand.
        
       | jvolkman wrote:
       | One 43" 4K monitor (or TV) has been my go-to for the last 4
       | years. Plenty of screen real estate without the physical
       | limitations of dual monitors in different orientations. And at
       | 43/42 inches, PPI is just right for me - no scaling necessary.
        
         | FractalHQ wrote:
         | Have high res TV makers solved the gnarly input lag problem?
        
           | jvolkman wrote:
           | It hasn't been an issue in my experience. rtings.com rates
           | input lag on tvs (as well as how well they work as monitors).
           | 
           | Most modern units have game mode and/or PC mode which I
           | assume disables some processing to drive down lag. On my LG
           | C2 OLED, changing the input type to "PC" results in a visible
           | flicker (just one flicker) when the display is shifting into
           | some new mode.
        
       | seanp2k2 wrote:
       | Really wish we had options for 16:10 and 4:3 monitors in 4k-8k
       | resolutions in 2024. Personally, I think the ultimate monitor is
       | somewhere around 36" wide with a ~1.6x "golden ratio" (aka 16:10)
       | so around 22-24" tall (for reference, a 42" 16:9 TV is about
       | 36.6Wx20.6H; 16x10 would be 35.6Wx22.3H; 4:3 would be
       | 33.6Wx25.2H). Right now I've got a 55" LG G1 OLED and it's nice
       | at 4K120hz, but ideally it'd be 8K120hz and a little smaller in
       | width. It seems like it wouldn't be too terribly hard to make
       | such a panel using an 8K 55" screen as a starting point, then
       | just omit a few inches of width. Ooh, and please make it a 10-bit
       | (or 12 but there I'm really dreaming) 4:4:4 120hz native panel.
       | 
       | Upon returning to the office for a few days a couple of months
       | back, I noticed that my desk had been moved and I was given a
       | standard setup with a 21:9 curved ultra wide 60hz Samsung. I HATE
       | it. I have no idea what kind of person thinks these are superior.
       | It can't open two A4-size PDFs next to each other, and with macOS
       | menu bar and dock (even auto-hide), toolbars in IDEs, terminals,
       | and browsers took up far too much of the screen. Add to that the
       | tendency of most websites these days to add their own pointless
       | toolbars and cookie warnings and subscribe junk and again I just
       | don't see who would enjoy this for any type of work or gaming.
       | I've tried dual portrait, I've tried quad, I've tried triple-wide
       | with 1920x1200 16:10s as my "curved" setup way back in the late
       | 2000s, and I still think that one single large high-res high-
       | quality FLAT monitor is the way to go, hence my current LG setup.
       | Everything else feels like it's missing a piece. Multiple
       | monitors just means bezels in your view and even though support
       | is tons better now than it was a dozen years ago, toolbars and OS
       | trays / docks still need some helper software to work really well
       | across multiple monitors, especially where n>2.
        
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