ultrawide monitors?

Posted by Dellu
May 17, 2018 at 06:16 PM

satis wrote:
In 2003 and 2008 NEC commissioned studies on single vs multiple
>monitors. To no one’s surprise, the conclusion was BUY MORE MONITOR$.
> >http://bit.ly/2wKrjIe
> >Interestingly, if you dig down, the NEC study says “large
>widescreen monitors can be equally or more productive than dual screen
>monitors.” The NEC study concluded that a single widescreen was
>consistently the best performing setup on text editing tasks.
> >Dual monitor setups require more head and neck movements, and since
>people also sit further away from multiple monitors so that they can
>take it all in by shifting their eyes rather than moving their heads -
>this results in a lot of squinting and neck-craning. Also, most people
>give both monitors the same importance, and place them symmetrically in
>front of them, instead of giving one monitor importance over another.
>This impacts posture.

This is exactly why I am a bit worried about two monitors and too big monitors. One huge monitor would be harder to read to every corner (top edges and low edges). Two monitors could be even more challenging. for my current setting, with my macbook pro on the side, I find it harder to move between the two screens difficult. I always work on the single monitors.

For text editors (for academics), it is also more important to focus rather than moving around. My intuition of usage of monitors is exactly like your description here.

A single wide (but nor tall) monitor feels the most convenient for editing text side by side. If the screen is tall, my intuition is it will force me to bend down (or just an eye movement) to read the lowest text in the screen.

But, I could be wrong because I never tried a long monitor (or the inverted ones as Dr Andus does). it is very interesting that people prefer different setups. Our physical situations might be factors in here as well.

>Also, distraction is an issue with a 2nd monitor, aside from cost and
>space:
> >https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/20/technology/personaltech/surviving-and-thriving-in-a-one-monitor-world.html
> >> I am not sure if the macbook supports multiple monitors.
> >Macbook?
>Macbook Pro?
>Which year’s model?
>And do you mean Macbook screen + monitor, or multiple monitors instead
>of (or in addition to) the Macbook screen?

I am using Macbook pro 2012. I am thinking to use this same machine for the next 5 or so years. and, when I say multiple monitor impossible, i am not counting the mac itself. My mac has a single Thunderbolt slot.