Ask HN: How do you use your dual screen setup? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: How do you use your dual screen setup?

2 pointsjedberg4 comments

I currently have a dual screen setup at home. A larger 4K monitor and a smaller 2560. I have the 4K directly in front of me and the other as the secondary monitor to the side.

I do most of my work on the 4K monitor, but when coding, I usually put the IDE on the secondary monitor and then have the shell, web console, and web browser with the app running on the 4K screen.

Having looked around offices in the past, this seems to be in the minority.

How do you use your dual monitors?

Does anyone use their bigger screen as the secondary? The reason I ask is because I want to convert to a sit/stand setup, but to do so I'd have to put the smaller monitor on the riser stand, because only the larger one can connect to the monitor arm.

Thanks!

I have the reverse setup and use the 4k side monitor to run 4 windowed apps and any temp windows I need.

I use a 1920 in front of me as my primary monitor/ide

Do you have issues or complaints about that setup? Would you do it the other way if you could?

I could switch it if I wanted to, but for me, I feel like the slightly smaller 1920 is just the right size and resolution for me to concentrate on.

If I had any complaint, it would be that I might prefer it if my primary monitor was able to rotate 90 degrees into portrait mode. I know some can, but the ones I have do not.

My side (right hand) 4k is about the right size and resolution for 4 tiled 1024 windows that I keep open all the time.

Email, Slack, Git Client, Web Browser.

Any additional windows I open I then to slide off to the side monitor as well. This keeps my primary monitor mostly reserved for my IDE.

For what it is worth, I have a second workstation counter clockwise to my left with a mirrored config to my primary workstation. My office is like a kind of mini-command center. My chair is basically in the center of an octagon shaped room. My desk rests against 5 of the sides of the octagon.

That sounds like a sweet setup. Thanks for the input!

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