Topic: Dual Monitors

[CADaver]

anyway, according to most surveys, dual monitors improve productivity.

Oh? Could you post one?

[uncoolperson]

anyway, according to most surveys, dual monitors improve productivity.

Oh? Could you post one?

i just conducted one...

yes : 100% (1 surveyed)
no : 0% (0)

[Keith™]

anyway, according to most surveys, dual monitors improve productivity.

Oh? Could you post one?

I posted references to at least 3 .. you didn't like them ..

[PHX cadie]

Not sure if it's proper to post a ? here or start a new topic, but:

Today was my first day at the new firm and my first with 2 monitors. The problem is its one view stretched over 2 screens. Currently I have ACAD stretched to fill one screen, but I don't think that's the way it is suppose to be. Twice I fell for the same blunder, turn a toolbar and its no where to be seen, will duh it was over on the other screen. 
What setting do I need to have 2 programs, full screen on each monitor?

Thanks All, hope I'm making sense!

Ain't life beautiful   

[sinc]

Unfortunately, many programmers don't test their software with dual monitors, or keep in mind that the user may have dual monitors.  Therefore, they don't always choose the appropriate default location for things like dialogue boxes.  They tend to default them to the center of the primary monitor, which may not be the same as the monitor displaying the main window.  This is something they don't notice with only one monitor, but annoys people with two monitors.

Some windows "remember" where you move them to, so that they open in the same spot every time.  With these, you can move them to where you want them, and they'll appear there every time.  Others "remember" where you move them to until you shut down the program, so you have to move them every time you restart the program.  And still others don't "remember" anything, and always open in their pre-programmed place.  This is one of the rarely-advertised joys of dual-monitors...   

There's another problem, this time with the ones that "remember" where you put them.  You can drag a dialog box to Monitor 2, and it will always open up where you put it.  But that creates a problem if you change the relative location of your monitors, so that the one that used to be on the left is now on the right, or if you lose one monitor and are forced to go back to single-monitor again.  Windows cheerfully allows your program to attempt to display the dialog box in the location you desired, even though there is no longer a monitor there.  So you get this nifty "missing dialog" problem, where the program pops open the dialog box and waits for you to do something, but you can't do anything because you can't see the dialog box.  Lots of fun.

[Dinosaur]

I find it best with AutoCAD to have the drawing editor in a window that fills one screen but not maximized and place everything else on the second monitor.  For some reason this works best with the editor on the secondary monitor on my system as any toolbar or application that doesn't understand the concept of being less important remembers its location on the primary monitor and rarely gets lost.  I don't know if Microstation will work the same way, but I would try that formula first.

It looks like sinc may have a similar answer for you . . . sorry if mine turns out to be redundant.

[PHX cadie]

You can drag a dialog box to Monitor 2, and it will always open up where you put it. 

Agreed its seems that ACAD dialog boxes would stay, then I would close Excel, or Email and the Save Changes would be split don the middle of 2 screens.
I think there is a way, the Boss' system did not behave this way, but he couldn't remember the setting. His seems to have 2 monitors working independently, (but mabe they are "stretched"),  like one could have separate wall papers on each screen. Mmmmmmmm.
Anyway I'm not complaining, its great to get back to the "Civil" world. 
Thanks for the response's

[M-dub]

Man!  I just read the majority of this thread and now my brain hurts.  Time to look something else up.  I'll be back on the dual monitor thing soon though... sounds like we're going to be getting duallies in the next few weeks. 

[CADaver]

After nearly eight months with dual monitors on over a hundred stations, the numbers we have indicate zero production improvement.  The troops "feel" more productive, but that hasn't translated into actual production yet, I see no indications it ever will.

[Josh Nieman]

After nearly eight months with dual monitors on over a hundred stations, the numbers we have indicate zero production improvement.  The troops "feel" more productive, but that hasn't translated into actual production yet, I see no indications it ever will.

Do you think their morale improvement is worth the cost?

[CADaver]

After nearly eight months with dual monitors on over a hundred stations, the numbers we have indicate zero production improvement.  The troops "feel" more productive, but that hasn't translated into actual production yet, I see no indications it ever will.

Do you think their morale improvement is worth the cost?

they found other stuff to whine about, morale improvement was very short lived.

[Josh Nieman]

After nearly eight months with dual monitors on over a hundred stations, the numbers we have indicate zero production improvement.  The troops "feel" more productive, but that hasn't translated into actual production yet, I see no indications it ever will.

Do you think their morale improvement is worth the cost?

they found other stuff to whine about, morale improvement was very short lived.

haha

Guess that was to be expected.  I honestly can't find a single thing wrong with my setup.  I have a 24" widescreen which is awesome... it helps with my eye strain... I'm young, so it's not a problem, but I do notice a difference if I work on the screen at home, and it's the same brand, but a 20" widescreen... I have to sit closer though at the same resolution.  Taking the resolution down makes the workspace cumbersome compared to my habits.  With the 24" widescreen, I am able to push the flat screen to the back of my desk, sit back in my chair, and draft.  If my eyes are feeling a bit strained, I can sit up in my chair, leaned forward a bit, and my face is still a quite good distance away from the monitor.

That's the important factor to me.

I have 2g RAM... quite fine.
P4 3ghz... could be better, but it's not a hindrance, so why care?
Video card leaves... a little to be desired.. at times.  Autocad doesn't like it so much, but it doesn't hurt, because it doesn't control the final output.  We don't use any screenshots heh.
I uh... well I guess there's not much else that matters.  Hard drive is obviously more than I need... that's cheap.

[CADaver]

I have a 24" widescreen which is awesome...

That's what I have at home, and the direction I wanted to go corporately, but I was out-voted by the Microstation crowd in one of our other offices.

[kindra]

I have a 24" widescreen which is awesome...

That's what I have at home, and the direction I wanted to go corporately, but I was out-voted by the Microstation crowd in one of our other offices.

I think MicroStation and its overabundance of pop-up menus necessitates two screens. You really didn't see any improvements, dead guy?

[jonesy]

I was helping a person at work today trying to use Microstation on one monitor... my oh my it was painful. Moving things out of the way, closing dialog boxes, only tho have to open them up again a minute later.... nah, I'll stick to my dual monitors thanks. My AutoCAD is set pretty much the same layout so its fairly easy to switch between the two programs.