Dual Monitors??

[Coldkill3]

Whats the deal with people using dual or even triple monitors now a days =s. Doesnt the border between the two screens create a space where u cant see (that would bother me greatly), also doesn't it stretch the screen area too wide to be of any viable use. =s Sorry if I'm asking a stupid question I just don't get the big deal if anyone can explain the different uses of it to me also I've heard you can run the dual monitors in different ways supposedly one can mirror what the other is doing =s or something like that =p appreciate the help

[mackindergarten]

A dual monitor setup is very useful for applications that have many palettes (ie Photoshop).

The 2nd monitor is good to dump stuff that you like to check quickly at a glance (maybe mail, IM) without having to leave your current application.

The 2nd monitor can also be a video device (for getting a TV-real image when editing video)

/Rupert

[anim8or]

Whats the deal with people using dual or even triple monitors now a days =s. Doesnt the border between the two screens create a space where u cant see (that would bother me greatly), also doesn't it stretch the screen area too wide to be of any viable use. =s Sorry if I'm asking a stupid question I just don't get the big deal if anyone can explain the different uses of it to me also I've heard you can run the dual monitors in different ways supposedly one can mirror what the other is doing =s or something like that =p appreciate the help

As an animator/filmmaker i use the dual screen setup for outputting from Final Cut Pro. One screen display final cut and the other shows me a HD output of what i am working on/editing/etc.

I also dabble in web design so having extra space to put windows from photoshop or dreamweaver is great.

Other than that its just cool to have the extra space... you know for watching a dvd on one screen and surfing the web or working on the other.

[flopticalcube]

Whats the deal with people using dual or even triple monitors now a days =s. Doesnt the border between the two screens create a space where u cant see (that would bother me greatly), also doesn't it stretch the screen area too wide to be of any viable use. =s Sorry if I'm asking a stupid question I just don't get the big deal if anyone can explain the different uses of it to me also I've heard you can run the dual monitors in different ways supposedly one can mirror what the other is doing =s or something like that =p appreciate the help

It doesn't stretch, it adds space. The space between the monitors doesn't exist. Drag the mouse to one edge of a monitor and then over the edge and it instantly appears on the other, even if the other monitor is 10 feet away. As others have said, its useful as a parking spot for tools and palettes. Useful in creative work and when multiple windows are needed, like programming.

[Coldkill3]

but doesnt the border in between the screens bother you =s i always imagined that when you open an application and extended it to fullsize that it goes to both screens and you are left with a big thick line down the middle of the 2 monitors =s?

[Coldkill3]

sry for posting again i was typing before the post made its way to foruma nd could read it

[flopticalcube]

You usually don't span a single window across the multiple screens. Different screens are monitoring different things. Even Al Gore likes it:

http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/images/al-gore-three-monitors.jpg

[Hmac]

but doesnt the border in between the screens bother you =s i always imagined that when you open an application and extended it to fullsize that it goes to both screens and you are left with a big thick line down the middle of the 2 monitors =s?
Having two monitors is useful for having multiple windows or palettes, and those various windows would be parked on one monitor or the other. Yes, the gap between monitors would be annoying if you wanted to have one window spanning both monitors, but that's not how dual monitor systems work and I can't think of a reason why anyone would use one that way.

Photoshop is a good example. You can have the image you're editing full-size on one entire monitor with all the palettes and browser open on the other. Or, you could be watching a DVD full-screen on one monitor while surfing the web on the other. Etc.

Our buddy Al above looks like he has several different browser windows open, but note that none of them span his crack (monitor crack). This parallel information stream allows for far more simultaneous environmental information flow into his brain than the rest of us poor schmucks with only one or two monitors.

[pastrychef]

It's also cool when virtual machines have their own screens.

[Hawkeye411]

I use dual monitors at work. I have my stats package open in one screen and Word open in the other screen so I can easily review the numbers that I need to enter when writing. Also, it makes my colleagues think I'm a geek which is a good thing these days right??