Monitor screen size and programming ease

Question

I recently heard that a big part in successful/quick debugging and easing the process of programming is to use a big screen.

I may be purchasing a new computer in the future and this has me wondering:

1)Is the aforementioned statement actually true or is it a bit of a stretch?

2)Have you noticed that this plays a significant enough part to buy a bigger screen if the bigger screen is significantly more expensive?

3)Is it common for developers to work on 13'' laptop screen as their main (and only) workstation (this is what I currently develop on) or is this actually disadvantageous?

This may be subjective but any professional opinions/experiences would be greatly appreciated!

Answer 1

1. In my own experience, more screen space means faster work. I spend less time Alt-Tabbing between windows (which does become frustrating after a while). If I have enough space to see my IDE and whatever window is executing my code (be it a GUI or a console app) at the same time is always easier than having to switch back and forth.

2. I recently got a used desktop computer from my parents for cheap, but the monitor resolution was a measley 1300x700 (rounded because I can't remember the exact numbers). Trying to develop anything with that screen was just an awful experience. I did eventually opt for buying a new monitor (23", 1920x1080 resolution) for about $180. If that price doesn't sound unreasonable to you, I'd highly recommend buying an extra monitor. It is fantastic to have the extra space. I generally keep my IDE maximized in the big monitor, and run my code in the original one. At work I have two monitors as well, and the same kind of thing is true.

3. I guess I partially answered this question in my answer to part 2. To reiterate, I don't believe that a 13" primary screen is common or good in any way. I can only relate my own experience; everyone in my office has two monitors that are each at least 16". And we still would like even more space!

4. There have been studies on productivity boosts with large monitors (extra screen real estate). See: http://www.corecommunication.ca/4-studies-which-show-that-using-a-second-monitor-can-boost-productivity/

5. Screens are only one part of development efficiency. If it takes three hours to build the application, you've just lost three hours of testing time. Think about all the different hardware requirements. http://stackoverflow.com/questions/499889/ssd-and-programming

Answer 2

I can't really develop without two 1920x1200 monitors. Any less than that seriously hinders my productivity.

But

I don't know what you consider large. I definitely wouldn't recommend monitors larger than 24", unless they also have a better resolution. The pixels are too big, and to have a good viewing angle on two of these you would need to sit too far away to comfortably focus on them all day long.

I used to develop on a 17" laptop; I would connect it to a desktop with a 22" screen (both were 1920x1200) and use both monitors while I'm at the office; at home I also had an extra monitor. As long as you've got enough screen realestate, you don't need the screens to be exceptionally big.

Answer 3

I find having a big screen (and/or multiple screens) to be a huge advantage.

Being able to see (for instance) your app, a debugger, a bug report, and some documentation all at once makes the process much more productive.

Answer 4

I use to have a 32 inch LCD and it was jut far to big. I actually stopped using it for that fact. Great for my xbox but not for any real everyday computer use. I had dual screens and loved it. Though I recently just moved to the UK so sadly only have one 22 inch monitor, which is an LED 1080p and fantastic. Having one really kills my productivity. I need 2.

Answer 5

• 19" in portrait: 900 x 1440
• 27.5" Hanns-G: 1920 x 1200
• 27.5" Hannspree: 1920 x 1200
• The Lenovo laptop was replaced with an HP EliteBook 8540w: 1600 x 900

Spec docs or server monitor open on the 19", IDE open on the left big monitor, SQL Manager open on the right big monitor and Outlook on the laptop screen. I can have FireFox open on one screen with Firebug fullscreen on the other. Talk about being able to inspect HTML, JavaScript and Ajax calls.

About 6 of my coworkers went out and bought similar 27.5" monitors. These include other Architects, PDF developers, Project Managers and web developers.

I also have 2 x 25.5" monitors at home using an Eyefinity card on my desktop. I highly recommend Craigslist for finding used monitors and monitor arms.

Answer 6

Almost everybody seem to think bigger=better & more=better. But in my experience:

• 13" laptop screen is too small for full-time work.
• 23", 1920x1080 screen at about arm's distance is optimal.
• Bigger than that offers no advantage, you would just have to position it farther.
• Dual/triple screens are a distraction.

Yes, the more desktop space you have, the more stuff you can see at once. At the same time, people are building distraction free editors. Isn't this a bit contradictory?

Answer 7

It's part of the entire I/O stack that includes your keyboard, mouse/trackball/trackpad, desk, chair (yes, your furniture is important too), etc.
Of those I consider the screen to be the least important, and it's positioning more important by far than its size. While I'd love to have dual or triple 23" widescreens at my disposal, in reality that'll likely never happen. I'm lucky to work for a company that gives us a decent single 15" laptop rather than having us make do with 5 year old (or worse) castoffs from managers and their secretaries. Could bring in my own screens of course, but I've already brought in $500+ of other equipment to make me work RSI free and am not going to sponsor the company to increase my workpace as well. If they want that they'll have to pay for it themselves (I'll invest in staying healthy, hence buying a split keyboard and things like that, not to make someone else make more money he knows he can get by making that investment :) ).

Answer 8

How many monitors you have is only one side of the picture. Yes, more monitors help, but if you are unable to get more monitors right now (for whatever reasons - you are on the move - laptop, not enough desk space, whatever), then you might stumble on this epiphany:

It's not always how many monitors you have. 
Rather, what you'd like is to be able to see 
    the contents of multiple windows at once

This means, that you could use something like virtual desktops and get very close to the same effect as having multiple monitors. My personal workstation (the only one) is an HP laptop with a 15.1" screen. Since I develop on Ubuntu, I have the virtual desktops, which functions almost equivalently for me. That being said, there /are/ times when I'd prefer a second (or even third) monitor so that I can have an API or tutorial permanently visible.

Tools like multiple virtual desktops and window transparency definitely help a lot in getting you /very/ close the the multiple screen experience, and do the job a lot of the time. But there are times when that second monitor is just absolutely necessary.

Now, if you're going to develop, you want to be able to see all your code without scrolling much (horizontally or vertically). At work, I have two 19" fullscreen monitors - bad aspect ratio and too small). I would ideally not settle for lesser than two 21" widescreen monitors. This will give me ample on-screen real estate to have multiple (more than 2) windows open simultaneously. That being said (just because I am as quirky as I am), I will probably still use transparent widows and virtual desktops, even with two 21" monitors.

Answer 9

Having a large screen, especially coupled with a dual monitor, is a gigantic advantage.

Think of it like this...for professions that work with paper, wouldn't you think they would prefer more physical desk space? More space to lay out papers to review at once.

Same with us. The more screen realestate, the easier it is.

Answer 10

I use two 19" monitors at work, it's far easier to work with two screens than it is with one. I work with a lot of stored procedures in my application and it's really nice being able to have Visual Studio open on one screen and SQL Management Studio on the other. It's great for debugging too as you can have your application on one screen and Visual Studio on the other. I don't know how anyone could work productively on a 13" laptop screen, or with a tiny laptop keyboard for that matter!

Answer 11

I'm going to give you a different advice.

It depends on how fast are you already working on your current screen size.

Or rather, it depends on how much frustrated you are at doing small things (like some have mentioned, they consider alt-tab annoying, it hurts their brain, their always wondering "why do I have to alt-tab" and can't focus on the work)

I have a 14 inch and a 24 inch. Not much difference at all. In fact I can't even guarantee that it's faster on a 24 inch!

That said, the fact that I don't actually find anything frustrating at all may be because I've memorized every single obscene short-cut that I don't actually find anything frustrating at all even working over 48hours without sleep.

If even at your current small screen size everything just flows (you don't get frustrated at small things, at all) you won't see any benefit.

Plus I'm going to assure you, everytime you've spent too many hours on one screen size, you are sure to have a jet-lag on the switch.

G'd luck!

Answer 12

The window/view on the world of an application developer is only as big as the total number of pixels on his (set of) monitor(s).

Imagine a construction worker building a house, only being able to see 5 bricks simultaneously at any given time. Imagine a doctor only being able to see one limb at the same time of a patient he's examinating. Imagine a chemist only being able to observe one particular test tube at any moment.

What I'm trying to say is, programmers start off with a limitation because they are depending on existing technology to view what they are doing. As a student on digs, I need to have a portable workstation. My laptop has a 15" screen with a resolution of 1366x768 and I find this limiting my productivity every single day.

As a student we get stuff, tasks thrown at us that require us to do more than simply to work with an IDE and to see our program running. I often have multiple browser tabs, a file browser, an IDE, file editors and 2-3 command shells open (in a linux distribution) and believe me, this all gets confusing and I quickly lose focus that way on my small screen. Hence I'm glad I get home in the weekend and I can use my 24" 1080p monitor.

In my opinion, you should find a balance between too expensive and exagerated, because having 4 screens isn't necessarily productive either. You have to move your eyes around a lot more and you even have to turn your chair around.