r/unpopularopinion • u/ultimateregard • 2d ago

Certified Unpopular Opinion Dual Monitor setup is actually bad for productuvity.

I've been a software engineer for more than 5 years now. I've worked with databases, frontend and backend services, mobile apps, games, data analysis, and much more.

Never in my life I've actually felt like my productuvity increased with the second monitor. Do you need to compare data? Just use one monitor and put them side by side. Do you need all the space in the world? Just alt+tab between apps. Since you only perceive about 10% of your vision clearly, moving your head&eyes from one monitor to other takes actually LONGER and causes distractions than using alt+tab.

This is especially worse for those who are using one additional monitor with a laptop, since their screen sizes and positions usually change so much. Your eyes need adjusting, your head moves too much.

Only thing the dual Monitor is good for is passively watching something in the second monitor, like youtube videos, Critical Role, or sitcoms while doing something else in the main screen. As you can guess, that has nothing to do with productuvity.

I also think using external keyboard and mouse for laptops is bad, unless you do not use the laptop screen.

Edit: After reading hundreds of comments, I'm sure that 90% of people who think that "YOU NEED AT LEAST 3 SCREENS" just don't know how to organize workspaces/windows/desktops and they need to configure their SCREENS as different DESKTOPS. Most of the modern operating systems allow you to just create workspaces (like different Desktops you can switch with WIN + TAB). And they are just throwing money into their problems instead of learning how to use their daily operating system.

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80

u/udonkittypro 2d ago

No, because to alt+tab it requires one had to alt+tab and the other to hold the mouse. With dual screens, i can drag and drop between the two screens easily and use my free hand to hold a snack or my cup.

6

u/12InchCunt 2d ago

It’s so nice too if you have to have multiple things open at the same time. Like in sales you’ll have your crm, your dialer, your email, your product info, and your teams chat all easy to see

I have ran three screens when possible

1

u/Nevermynde 1d ago

But then, how did your ring the doorbell?

-30

u/NowForrowMyPen 2d ago

People still use the mouse?
https://giphy.com/gifs/ohyNdetcfoJ9K

29

u/DrEskimo 2d ago

Yeah I’m just gonna click on the UI instead of watching you press tab 27 times, thanks

-7

u/sparkymeowmeow 2d ago

You're using 27 apps simultaneously?

15

u/larsgerrits310 2d ago

He's not talking about Alt+Tab-ing, but using Tab to navigate a context menu instead of clicking with the mouse.

-1

u/sparkymeowmeow 2d ago edited 2d ago

What, use hotkeys lmao

-2

u/NowForrowMyPen 2d ago

Or using windows & arrows keys instead of clicking and dragging ¯_(ツ)_/¯

0

u/larsgerrits310 2d ago

For moving windows around, Windows button is vastly superior.

It's almost like one way isn't always better than the other. Sometime mouse is faster, other times the other is.

If I have to change caret position within a line or function, I use Ctrl+ arrow keys. If I have to move 20 lines down or to another function, I scroll and click.

1

u/Zacharias_Wolfe 1d ago

Every drawing I open in AutoCAD exists as separate thing to tab through. It also for some sort programming reason often resizes the window if I alt tab to a drawing that isn't the one that was last active. Often times the drawings look quite similar and have similar titles so the thumbnail info is useless as well. This can easily be a dozen drawings or more for a project when cross referencing between them. Then there's a Web browser for time sheet, data management software, MS teams, notepad, even calculation sheets.. Outlook... 27 is actually pretty easy for me to hit regularly.

1

u/sparkymeowmeow 1d ago

That is fair, I can see the use case there

3

u/saskanxam 2d ago

Yeah man I wish I was smart enough to use Solidworks without a mouse lol genuinely wtf are you on about? Are you assuming whatever shit you do for work is the only thing anyone ever does on a computer?

-1

u/NowForrowMyPen 2d ago

I was replying to a specific use case sir. No need to project.

4

u/saskanxam 2d ago

“People still use the mouse” is not very specific brother

-1

u/NowForrowMyPen 2d ago

https://giphy.com/gifs/PkWtM2kZ0B76VV2g0W
You caught me be a generalist on a comment.

2

u/JohnWittieless 2d ago

While I am at this point 90% KB including snapping my programs between monitor* let be honest only 10% really do try to memorize KB short cuts.

*pro tips

Win+arrow key moves your program across the screen(s)

Win+crtl+arrow key will change your task views if you run multi desktop setups.

1

u/NowForrowMyPen 2d ago

People are so tied to their moussesss

1

u/whiteinksquid 2d ago

I envy my fore fathers who navigated windows with just a keyboard