Codename Frost has a burning question:

Hey Chris, I was just wanting your opinion on dual monitors. Is there really any need for them nowadays? Considering we have applications like “Spaces” on OSX and Compiz on Linux, where it allows you to have multiple desktops running at the same time. Considering you can only look at one monitor at one time, where’s the need in having more than one, when you can run multiple desktops on the one monitor, and being able to switch between them instantly. The only real reason I see, in having more than one monitor is for the people who like playing simulation games. ie. Flight Simulator / Forza Motorsport who not only want to see in front of them, but around them as well. But even that isn’t a viable reason to have more than one monitor, as these games allow you to look to your left/right using a mouse/stick…

Dude. Since I’ve connected the MacBook Pro to my second 30″ monitor, I totally miss it as a secondary screen to my primary one. I like using that second screen for my tracking tools (widgets, IM, chat, etc.). I couldn’t live with a single monitor. Just couldn’t.

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YouTube is driving more attention to my efforts than any other resource (combined):

First off, Your show is awesome, thank you for hosting it. I’m a big fan, and really love your insights on technical stuff. Now I wanted to send an actual video, but my video quality was rather bad, because of the lighting in this room, and usually when I get back from work it’s already quite dark or am too busy.

Thanks, Norbert.

So, anyway, here’s my e-mail, I wanted to address something I don’t hear you talk about a lot, though you use it intensively, as do more and more people these days: Dual monitoring. I’ve been using multiple monitors for years now, simply for the ability to see more windows at the same time. FTP, Chat, Explorer, Internet Explorer, Firefox. Now this in itself is great, however: Been having difficulty in the beginning. Windows doesn’t stretch the taskbar, or adds a second. Now using 3rd part applications you can do this. The name Ultramon should now spam the minds of people who use multiple monitors. I have been using it. And I loved it. But a little problem keeps nagging me. In windows XP + SP2, the taskbar generated by Ultramon does not look exactly how it should. The visual skin / style is applied from what Windows itself uses, but somehow the color is off. Now this is not my monitor’s setup, because I have 2 identical monitors with identical settings. And all other applications look exactly how they look on the other “side”. So I know the problem is in Ultramon. I love the product for its usability, it’s way better than anything as far as I know. BUT I’m a perfectionist on my desktop.

Welcome to the hell of being a user without the ability to program. :P

So I set out to fix this problem, “complained” to the Ultramon devs, Updated, looking for other applications, but I did not get it the way I wanted. Finally I got tired of searching and messing with my monitor setup, I hit the uninstall button on Ultramon. I know it sounds crazy, why through away a perfectly good working application, just because it’s 2 shades out of color? Well I don’t know, It just really annoyed me.

What I have now is the span-view option from Nvidia. It doesn’t have the usabilities which Ultramon has, But for once: it really looked like the taskbar was 1, not 2 parts. Also, my taskbar seems to be more responsive now.

My question after all this, is simply: Do you know any really good application for doing dual monitoring? I had gotten so used to the “right click and move to other monitor”-function in Ultramon, I’m rather missing it, and yes the maximizing windows is out for me now, because it will maximize to both monitors.

The story above is about a PC running Windows XP. Vista is running Ultramon just fine, no coloration weirdness.

I never used Nvidia’s software – as hardware manufacturers are notoriously rotten at writing desktop apps (some of them can’t even get their drivers straight). Still, it’s good to see you’ve found a workable solution – and it’s likely best that you leave well enough alone. I say this realizing that most dual monitor software SUCKS, and you’ve pretty much already used the one that is likely to be recommended by anybody.

Also I’d also like to know if there are dual monitoring applications for the Mac, Since I use that at work. The menubar on the top in OSX doesn’t work very well if you have to move your mouse over several monitors in order to get to the menu. I’m wanting to go to 3 monitors at work, but this thing about OSX keeps me from doing that.

I’d like to know that myself…! UPDATE: John Starta emailed me after reading this post and submitted DejaMenu as a solution for OS X:

Saw your blog post today (8/22) about dual monitors. At the end of the post the reader being quoted and yourself express an interest in getting the Menubar in OS X to appear on a second monitor. There is an application called DejaMenu that enables this. Rather than having a secondary menubar across the top of the second monitor however, DejaMenu enabled the menubar to appear in context when a key combination is pressed.

• Dual Monitor Display Increases Productivity
• Dual Monitors: Is There Any Need?

I’m tellin’ ya – if you haven’t gone dual, you’re not ready to rule.

Someone who goes by the handle “imafrayedknot” left a comment for my Dual Monitor vs Single Screen video:

Productivity is about more than just the brute number of pixels. Using multiple monitors allows me to efficiently organize my desktop resources by using each screen as a partition. I use this triple monitor display.

With 2 monitors you would have a black bezel right in the middle of your line of sight between the two monitors. Three monitors eliminates this problem. Furthermore I’ve found that my personal workflow is natively three pronged – I put my central focus task up in the middle 21.3″ screen and support it with resources on the two rotated wing displays. I run photoshop or dreamweaver in the middle, with firefox on the left and internet explorer on the right, or outlook on one side, a spreadsheet on the other and word in the middle. It just helps me synthesize information efficiently. I love it and would never consider going back…It would be like working with one eye closed or something.

Once singletons see any two screens (or more) in action on the same machine, they’re always jealous. It’s not the size of the monitor that matters, it’s what you… nevermind.

• Dual Monitor Software… Sucks
• Dual Monitors: Is There Any Need?