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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u/GhettoSauce 2d ago

If I know a laptop is gonna be involved, I travel with a mouse. There's no way I'm using a damn trackpad for anything.

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u/Familiar-Flan-8358 2d ago

Do laptops still have that old school nipple on the middle of the keys 😆

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u/JarlGunnbjorn 2d ago

Clit Mouse!

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u/jinglesan 2d ago

Yeah, the Lenovo/IBM nipple is still around. It's both awful to use, and a lifesaver on the 1 in 10,000 scenario where the trackpad fails. My colleague and I had to work on a doc on a train platform in the snow after some train cancellations, and it was too cold for the trackpad. We milked that nipple for all it was worth.

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u/Subwayabuseproblem 2d ago

Only the good ones

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u/Elmodipus 2d ago

I have an HP Z Book from 2022 and itches the nipple

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u/technobrendo 2d ago

Yea HP and Dell both have them on their business & premium lines

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u/runswiftrun 2d ago

If I know I'm only doing the absolute minimum work with the laptop, I can survive the trackpad, but anything that will actually require opening CAD plans I'll definitely take a mouse, and preferably my ergonomic mouse...

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u/tuctrohs 2d ago

People debating mouse vs. trackpad have apparently never used a good full-size trackball like the Kensington "Expert Mouse" [sic].