Desk Jockeys: Two Monitors or One Monitor?

[MarmotKing]

I use 2 monitors at work. Laptop at home. I'm fine with only one, but I prefer two if I have the choice.

[The Bottlenecker]

Normally I have one screen on at a time, but the iPad mini allows me to have two going simultaneously if it is required.

[Mr. Guru]

What do you need two monitors for at home? Curios to know what you guys use it for?

[Atomic Wedgy]

If you work with a computer all day, it is a fact that two screens is more efficient. ALT-TAB cannot make up for using only one screen. I can make due with only one screen at home. Hasn't bothered me at all.

[tcorrin]

I agree about the productivity increase multiple monitors has, i'm a programmer and at work i have four 24" monitors.. only had three for a while, and it slowed me down - had to have a 4th! at any given time i have these open: e-mail, the display of the app, the code, the requirements/specs im building off of, errors logs etc - or some other variation of these.. I am the exception though (only 1 other person has 4), the rest of the team has 3.

at home i have three 19" monitors, but this is mostly to work from home.. its 2 for personal use.

[havanablast21]

Gotta atleast have 2 extended view so that I can click and drag to which ever. Don't even like just my lap top any more as I need the extra display.

Esp at draft time... Screen 1 draft screen.... Screen 2 war room material.

[forumname]

If you work with a computer all day, it is a fact that two screens is more efficient. ALT-TAB cannot make up for using only one screen. I can make due with only one screen at home. Hasn't bothered me at all.

I don't think the word 'fact' has any place in this discussion. I've used 1-3 monitors and find that you simply grow to the size of your house. When you have one monitor, you get really good at having 1 monitor, and having less to manage can actually speed up your workflow.

Has anybody said anything about monitor size? Given a reasonable screen size there is no reason you can't have multiple tabs open on a single screen, see them all at once and reduce time-costly head movement from screen to screen. I've worked with 2 - 27" monitors and loved it, but now that I work exclusively on a 15.6" laptop screen I can see I was just being silly before. More is only better up to a certain point, then it's just more. I would argue that 1 awesome screen is better than 2 shitty ones, so saying that 2 is factually more efficient than 1 just isn't true.

[Mr. Guru]

What do you need two screens for at home?!

Unless you work at home, and you have two monitors you are probably spending too much time on the computer.