What monitor(s) do you have for programming?

[Exadra37]

Please tell us what is your preferred monitor setup for programming(not gaming) and why you have chosen it.

Does your monitor have eye protection technology?

What is the refresh rate, resolution, size, etc?

Please put photos if you can

[AstonJ]

I’ve got an LG5K Display hooked up to a 16" MBP:

Here’s a good review of it:

LG UltraFine 27MD5KL 2019 Review - The Best 5K Monitor? | The Tech Chap

It’s good not just for graphics but for anything where you need to read for long periods (such as code!) because the text is incredibly crisp. I would struggle going to a lower DPI now tbh.

This video makes me want to get an Apple XDR

6K Pro Display XDR vs 5K LG Ultrafine - Worth $4700 More?

[AstonJ]

I found Kamil’s monitor setup quite interesting - I was meaning to ask him about it but never got around to it (like is the the actual resolution he uses or was that just for recording purposes):

Hands-on Elixir & OTP: Cryptocurrency trading bot - Ep 2 - Create a trading strategy

[Exadra37]

I am trying to find eye care monitors to eventually build setup of 4 monitors, but maybe a little different of Kamil’s video.

I want to have 2 monitors in the vertical position in both sides and two monitors in the middle on the horizontal or instead a bigger monitor in the horizontal position between the two vertical ones.

[AstonJ]

For eye care, I think high DPI and not being too close might be best. Perhaps the ideal would be a set up where you can vary the distance - so your eyes are not always focused in on one length but this would require an adaptive res as the scaling would need to increase when further away to prevent squinting. This is just a guess, and I would be interested to learn if any studies have been done on this.

[Exadra37]

You have monitors that have eye care technology, like Benq and Asus. It seems to be achieved around low blue light and sensors to adapt bright to the light in the room.

Still exploring what exists.

[AstonJ]

Ah… macOS has True Tone as well as Night Shift modes (though True Tone only works on the LG5K when your laptop is open so the sensor can take a reading).

What I personally do is use a D50 colour profile on the LG5K as my MacBook is always in clamshell mode (closed). D50 is traditionally used for print and the white point is warmer. The white point is a lot colder/bluer on D65 which most monitors are set to as standard.

[Exadra37]

BenQ as a page only dedicated to explain their eye care technology:

BenQ Eye-care Technology | BenQ Europe

And Asus also have one:

EYE CARE TECHNOLOGY

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Another product from BenQ to help with eyes fatigue:

https://www.benq.eu/en-uk/lamps/computer-desklamp/screenbar-plus.html

[ohm]

I’ve got the same setup.

When I got hired at my current company, they asked me if I needed an external monitor for my company issued laptop (MacBook Pro 13"). I believe I answered “no”, as I already had a setup with two monitors. 2 weeks later I got an LG UltraFine 5K 27" delivered. Oh well, I don’t complain, it’s a nice monitor.

[AstonJ]

Haha nice! Are you running it at the default res and with any other monitors?

[ohm]

Nope. Just the two monitors. I can’t concentrate on more than that I barely use the screen on the laptop for anything but Slack.

[CinderellaMan]

I’m a little bit late into the discussion, I was busy with recording, but at least I will answer your question.

I started with “normal” font sizes (for the average user) and 2 monitors, but as I started to build more stuff related to spreadsheets, charts, etc - 2 monitors were a little bit like constantly chasing the window that I want from underneath other ones.

I ended up with 4 screens and now - espacially when screencasting - they are really useful. I need to admit that this massive font size was set up to record videos(and make them viewable on small phones) but then as I recently focus solely on screencasting, I got used to it and it will probably stay like that

[AstonJ]

Thanks for the info Kamil! What size monitors are they?

Sounds like you might like the Spaces feature on macOS does Linux have anything like it?

How To Use Multiple Desktops On Your Mac

I have it set up to my top left ‘hot corner’, so that when the mouse pointer goes into the top left corner of the screen it shows all spaces (or what Apple calls ‘Mission Control’).

Here’s screen grab of it in action:

I always have my spaces with Apple Music to the far left, then Mail, then a web browser. Then various desktops for whatever I’m working on. It’s really handy if you need to work on multiple projects or items at the same time

[CinderellaMan]

2 bottom ones are https://www.benq.com/en-us/monitor/stylish/gl2580h.html
2 top ones are my old BenQ monitors BenQ BL2400 (I bought them used 5 years ago - they need to be at least 10 years old - they look like 24")

Spaces looks like multi desktop feature which comes with a lot of Linux Window Managers. I’m currently using i3 and it allows for it.

I used it from time to time but I need to admit that when you are “in the zone” and you though that whatever you are looking for is on 3rd virtual desktop and it’s not there - you just get out of the zone immediately - it works like that or I have an attention span of the gold fish

[AstonJ]

@CinderellaMan

I used it from time to time but I need to admit that when you are “in the zone” and you though that whatever you are looking for is on 3rd virtual desktop and it’s not there - you just get out of the zone immediately - it works like that or I have an attention span of the gold fish

Haha I know what you mean… and what I tend to do is always follow the same format - hence why Apple Music, Mail and Safar are always in that order. When working on a big project I used to have Vim in one space (with multiple split windows/panes) then Safari to the right and several Terminal windows to the left. However with this new monitor I find letting the code editor occupy half the screen, and then a browser two thirds of the left, with terminal (and tabs) with a third works pretty well.

On smaller screens (like laptop screens) Spaces is invaluable as you can easily 4 finger swipe left/right etc.

@CinderellaMan

2 bottom ones are https://www.benq.com/en-us/monitor/stylish/gl2580h.html
2 top ones are my old BenQ monitors BenQ BL2400 (I bought them used 5 years ago - they need to be at least 10 years old - they look like 24")

Ah cool, I was guessing they were 21" - think the large text made them look smaller.

@Exadra37 was interested in BenQs so he might want to pick your brains about yours too!

[Exadra37]

@AstonJ

@Exadra37 was interested in BenQs so he might want to pick your brains about yours too!

I am thinking in going with the BenQ PD2700U 4K:

PD2700U｜27-inch 4K UHD sRGB HDR10 Designer Monitor

And I am also buying this Monitor Light ScreenBar:

Screenbar

@CinderellaMan Do you have any other suggestion or any negatives about BenQ? How do you find the eye care technology on them to be?

[siddhant3030]

I just bought MSI G27C4. It’s built for gaming purpose but I use it for programming. It has all cool features which you want in a gaming monitor. So if I decided to play some games later I don’t wanted to buy another monitor for that.
https://www.msi.com/Monitor/Optix-G27C4/Specification

[lawik]

I’m on two HP Z27 displays. 2*4K

I like them fine. Figuring out what is and isn’t possible with USB-C SS, Thunderbolt, display ports, USB hubs and stuff is weird. Extra weird with a Mac I think. Fun thing, sound out, but no sound in. Probably because that works with either HDMI or USB/ThB.

Anyway, they’re fine.

[Exadra37]

@Exadra37

And I am also buying this Monitor Light ScreenBar:

https://www.benq.eu/en-uk/lamps/computer-desklamp/screenbar.html

Already bought it, arrived today:

[AstonJ]

That looks really nice Paulo!!!

Have you tried the Retina versions of our themes? Should look pretty neat (depending on how far you are sitting)