I feel the need to brag a bit. Recently, my employer upgraded my dual monitor setup to a couple of Dell 27” monitors. With a resolution of 2560 x 14440, I have tons of space to spread out my code. The old adage says that bigger isn’t always better, but when it comes to monitor sizes, I have to disagree.

Big Monitors

If you write code for a living, having one (or more) large monitors is a must. Writing software involves keeping complex models arranged in your head. These models tend to be spread out across multiple classes in multiple files from multiple libraries. I find that if I can lay out at least some of these files on the screen and keep them visible at the same time, it makes it easier to keep my thinking straight. Most of the time, I have at least two files up, side by side. With my new setup, it’s not uncommon to have 3-4 files visible, one in each quadrant of the screen.

More Monitors

If one big monitor is good, two is even better, even if that second monitor is your laptop’s built-in screen. For me, one screen is typically dedicated to my IDE, while the other screen holds everything else. I can watch log files go by as I work with the application I’m debugging, read an article and compare how it applies to my code, or anything else I want to refer to at the same time I’m looking at my IDE. I’ve seen people use virtual desktops effectively, but I could never get used to the constant switching between them. I would much rather just have the screen real estate to lay out everything at once.

It’s About Productivity

Can you be effective using a single monitor? Of course. I was doing that just today working from home using just the laptop screen. After all, I got my start in software development at a time when having multiple monitors would have been laughably expensive, if it was supported at all! But I have no doubt I would have got a lot more done had I had my full setup available.

I understand the need to be frugal with your or your company’s money. When it comes to development tools, however, (and I’d consider things like bigger monitors development tools) it’s pretty easy to make the argument for the investment. The improved productivity results in fewer bugs, faster time to market and happier developers.