Is a dual monitor setup absolutely necessary for programming/coding?

[Mahbub]

Hello, I am starting to learn Python and I have one 1440p 27-inch main monitor and a 1080p vertical monitor on the side. I have started to feel like constantly looking to the side monitor and back to the main monitor is causing me very bad neck strain, I am curious to know that do you all use dual screens? How much tougher will it be for me to do programming if I just use the single 1440p monitor? Thanks.

[Erioch]

As someone who started coding in the early 80s, no.  You don't need dual monitors.

[seanondemand]

Absolutely necessary? No. 
 

but are more monitors more better? Yes, for all things. 

[rickymohk]

If you can already get the job done, then nothing else is absolutely necessary. They just make life better and easier.

[cmndr]

Not really but they're useful. Worst case scenario you just don't use the side monitor. 
The big thing is making your set up work well for you. Play with angling. 

[Erioch]

Also, only psychopaths orient their monitors vertically.  I know, I work with several.

[LAwLz]

When I studied programming I used a 13" 1360x768 laptop (with a core 2 duo).

It wasn't optimal, but it wasn't really a limiting factor either.

 

 

I feel like a lot of people on this forum pick up some computer-related hobby (programming, video editing, 3D modeling etc) and then the first thing they do is start buying a bunch of stuff. I am not sure if they just use the thing they are learning as an excuse to justify buying a bunch of things, or if they think that buying things will make them better programmers/artists/editors. In any case, you do not need a bunch of expensive stuff when learning the fundamentals. 

If you feel like you are getting neck strains then I would look into maybe moving things around on your desk instead. Maybe some monitor is too far away? Maybe you should try having both monitors in portrait? Maybe the desk and/or chair is the wrong height? Things like that.

[Blasty Blosty]

I mainly use the left for ChatGPT's help / online research, and the main right display (straight ahead of me) for my actual coding in VS

[Needfuldoer]

I'm not a programmer, but I have four monitors at work. (34" ultrawide split in half with FancyZones, 24" 16:10, 22" 1080p, 14" 1080p laptop screen.) The ability to spread everything out is vital to my workflow now. I tend to use one monitor (or at least one zone) for a specific application, so I just look at a different monitor instead of hitting alt-tab or squishing applications into tiny windows.

 

During the work from home era, my main "monitor" was a 43" 4K TV. Again, more pixels more better.

 

The two monitors you have already are more than enough for what you want to do. You could use one monitor for your development environment and the other to keep reference materials (guides, sample code, etc) open and available at a glance.

Edited May 10 by Needfuldoer
Added more guidance.

[StarsMars]

Not a coder but a sysadmin.

I resisted adding monitors for a while, now I'm on 3 and it's way more efficient.

[seanondemand]

24 minutes ago, StarsMars said:

Not a coder but a sysadmin.

I resisted adding monitors for a while, now I'm on 3 and it's way more efficient.

I think this is a point worth making - if the monitor is going to make you more efficient at something that makes you money, it’s easy to justify the cost. 

[SpaceGhostC2C]

At the end of the day, you are only looking at one screen at a time, so It all boils down to how costly is it for you to tilt your neck vs. alt-tabbing. Multiple monitors are likely to be worse ergonomically, and probably slower to execute, but they provide a less abstract form of focus switching. Alt-tabbing is physically more efficient, but also more disconnected from your instincts. It's similar to the trade-off between touchscreens (or the silly Minority Report interface) vs mouse&keyboard/keypad.

[thevictor390]

4 minutes ago, SpaceGhostC2C said:

At the end of the day, you are only looking at one screen at a time, so It all boils down to how costly is it for you to tilt your neck vs. alt-tabbing. Multiple monitors are likely to be worse ergonomically, and probably slower to execute, but they provide a less abstract form of focus switching. Alt-tabbing is physically more efficient, but also more disconnected from your instincts. It's similar to the trade-off between touchscreens (or the silly Minority Report interface) vs mouse&keyboard/keypad.

I disagree about speed of execution. You don't just move your neck to switch screens. You move your eyes, and your neck catches up later. Moving your eyes is extremely quick.

[Lurking]

Compared to the person sitting in front of the PC, monitors are dirt cheap. They also easily live 5-10 years. If you get 1% more product or quality out if it, they pay for themselves over and over.

 

I have two 43" monitors at work. Then I HAD to get two of them for the home office I remote from as well. Then two more for our main home PC my wife uses. Anyone who says they are not needed or nice, has never tried it out 

 

Yes, 200,000 years ago we happily lived in caves and used stone tools. And in the old days we all had to walk to school uphill both ways. But once you have nice things, it is impossible to go back. 

 

When I work I have browsers, spreadsheets etc. open in addition to my actual design software. Switching windows is just not practical.

[Kisai]

On 5/8/2024 at 7:28 PM, Mahbub said:

Hello, I am starting to learn Python and I have one 1440p 27-inch main monitor and a 1080p vertical monitor on the side. I have started to feel like constantly looking to the side monitor and back to the main monitor is causing me very bad neck strain, I am curious to know that do you all use dual screens? How much tougher will it be for me to do programming if I just use the single 1440p monitor? Thanks.

if you're turning your head, you're too close to the computer for the monitor size. Optimally your main monitor is slightly to the right or left, and the secondary monitor is the same size (not necessarily resolution) as the main monitor.

 

Basically, 24" monitors are usually the ideal size for coding because you're only going to turn eyes more than your neck. When you get into larger monitors you end up having to move your head more, in which case you may as well just a use a 32" monitor and operate it at 4K than have two 1080p monitors. All a matter of preference though.  Also consider a different orientation if you're taller, because if you can't look at the monitor without turning your neck, you might want to use a dual monitor arm setup and move the screens to where they are comfortable.

 

I do all my stuff on the main monitor and put the passive stuff (eg looking up things, watching youtube, etc) on the secondary. 

 

To give you an idea of my setup. It's 2x 23.8", with the main being 4K. The second doesn't tilt so I have them like this:

 

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The split between the monitor is roughly where the F3 and F4 are. Ideally I would have monitors with thinner bezels, but it's really hard to find that 4K IPS 24" non-glossy monitor configuration.

 

[LAwLz]

I'm not sure why some are referencing work-related environments.

While it's true that an additional monitor could boost productivity in a corporate setting, the original poster didn't suggest this is related to their job. They mentioned they are just beginning to learn Python.

Just because something is beneficial for a corporation doesn't necessarily mean it's a practical investment for someone who is exploring a potentially short-lived hobby

[Needfuldoer]

28 minutes ago, LAwLz said:

I'm not sure why some are referencing work-related environments.

While it's true that an additional monitor could boost productivity in a corporate setting, the original poster didn't suggest this is related to their job. They mentioned they are just beginning to learn Python.

Just because something is beneficial for a corporation doesn't necessarily mean it's a practical investment for someone who is exploring a potentially short-lived hobby

Because they're relaying their experiences with multi-monitor setups for productivity, and the OP already has two monitors. The point is, more pixels = more betterer.

[Sjokk]

I'm still a beginner software developer (in college right now) but I'm also an intern for a major automobile insurer in the United States and handle total loss claims. They gave all of us 3 monitors for our work from home setup and it doesn't feel like enough. In office we only get two monitors and the difference in efficiency by having that third monitor is absolutely phenomenal. I actually see a decrease in average length of my calls when I get that third monitor, and when I code I also notice it feels more efficient as well.

 

TL;DR: More monitors is better.  Source: Am a beginner programmer, also I see the difference in my WFH setup. 

[LAwLz]

39 minutes ago, Needfuldoer said:

Because they're relaying their experiences with multi-monitor setups for productivity, and the OP already has two monitors. The point is, more pixels = more betterer.

I think sharing your experience can be a good thing. 

However, it's important to differentiate these scenarios from what the OP might require as a beginner hobbyist learning Python.

 

In a corporate setting, the advantages of additional monitors are tied to the demands of multi-tasking, managing complex projects, and enhancing workflow efficiency over long hours. These setups are optimized for professional tasks and supported by company budgets. 

For someone just starting a hobby in programming, the scenario is quite different. The initial stages of learning to code focus more on understanding basic concepts and simple projects, which can be done on a single screen without issues.

 

Since a beginner might not have the necessary knowledge to differentiate between different contexts (professional vs hobby, expert vs beginner) they may see your post as an encouragement to adopt a professional-grade setup that might not only be overkill but could also lead to confusion and unnecessary expense. They might mistakenly believe that equipment that optimizes a professional workflow is essential for learning effectively, which is not the case.

 

As a more experienced member in a field, it is important to provide guidance that is not just accurate but also accessible and relevant to the learning stage the person you are responding to is at. Starting with what they already have, ensuring they can focus on the learning process itself without being overwhelmed by the idea that they need a professional setup to make any progress is usually the way to go.

 

To make an analogy, if someone new to strength training asks for advice then it would be irresponsible for a professional bodybuilder to post their workout routine and go "this is what I do". Even if they posted an explanation for the workout it is not guaranteed that the person reading the response will understand it fully and think that adopting that routine is the wy to go. It would most likely result in physical harm and a feeling of failure for the beginner who tried to adopt that workout routine and who may think "this is what everyone else does so I should do it too".

 

 

I don't want to single you out, because I see this happen on this forum a lot. Responses have to be tailored towards the person who asked the question. It is not enough to just go "this is what I do" without making sure it is understandable by someone who has little or no knowledge in the field.

[Needfuldoer]

27 minutes ago, LAwLz said:

I don't want to single you out

Don't lie to me.

 

But just for you, I went back and added additional context (which should've been there in the first place) to my first post in this thread.

 

The two monitors they already have are great for their needs. That gives plenty of space to keep reference materials open alongside their IDE.

[ToboRobot]

On 5/8/2024 at 10:38 PM, Erioch said:

As someone who started coding in the early 80s, no.  You don't need dual monitors.

Just think how amazing Unix and C would be if Dennis Richie had two monitors back in the day... 

 

[anirudthelinuxwIzard]

hell no, I code exclusively either on a laptop screen or a 24 inch 1080p Dell flatpanel from 2017

[anirudthelinuxwIzard]

22 hours ago, Erioch said:

Also, only psychopaths orient their monitors vertically.  I know, I work with several.

That's ....not true, you can fit so much more code on a vertical screen.

[Lurking]

5 hours ago, LAwLz said:

I'm not sure why some are referencing work-related environments.

While it's true that an additional monitor could boost productivity in a corporate setting, the original poster didn't suggest this is related to their job. They mentioned they are just beginning to learn Python.

Just because something is beneficial for a corporation doesn't necessarily mean it's a practical investment for someone who is exploring a potentially short-lived hobby

Because if a setup is efficient for work, it works well for home.

 

When I do private stuff on my 2x43" setup I may have YT on one monitor while browsing on the other. Or if I buy something I research the sh$tt out if it and have a spreadsheet and multiple browser windows to see technical data, buying options and other things without having to switch between windows all the time. And yes, I use the snaps to put windows in a corner or one side of the screen.

 

If you have never used a setup like that, you should not judge it. Once you used it, you will make effort to buy one. No one wanted a smartphone before they saw one.

 

I have my 2 monitors so that the split is in the middle and I use one preferred monitor for certain work. The 2 monitors are in 160-170° angle to each other. To me it is the greatest thing and if I ever change jobs, that would be one condition.

[GoStormPlays]

I used to use 2 monitors, then I got a 28-inch 16:9 monitor and I haven't really felt the need to have a second monitor. I just use split-view when I want to use multiple apps at once.