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iOS Any of you only programming on your actual laptop screen?

skitzogreg

skitzogreg

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 31, 2007
311
5
Arkansas
I have a U2412 (1920x1200), but I'm wondering if the extra real estate is worth it since my MacBook Pro has 1680x1050. Are any of you only coding on the actual laptop screen? If so, let me know what your experience is like. How far are you away from the screen, what size MBP, etc.
 
skitzogreg said:
Are any of you only coding on the actual laptop screen? If so, let me know what your experience is like. How far are you away from the screen, what size MBP, etc.
Click to expand...

I code using only my 13" MacBook Air (1440 x 900) and I get by. Sometimes it feels rather cramped and I'm looking to move up to a 21" iMac someday. I've considered the 27" iMac but that just seems like too much space. Oh, and I sit a couple of feet away from the screen.
 
skitzogreg said:
I have a U2412 (1920x1200), but I'm wondering if the extra real estate is worth it since my MacBook Pro has 1680x1050. Are any of you only coding on the actual laptop screen? If so, let me know what your experience is like. How far are you away from the screen, what size MBP, etc.
Click to expand...

I have a 15" MBP with the high-res matte screen, as well as a desktop Mac pro (Early 2008, but still going strong) with both an older 23" cinema display as well as a cheap 3rd party (Samsung) 1080p display I use as a second monitor.

I use the MBP for development sometimes, but when I'm in my office I much prefer the dual monitor setup. In my view I can't have enough screen real estate for development.

The 15" display seems cramped to me.

Most Mac laptops take external monitors, so you can quite easily connect a second display. A modest 1080 flatscreen TV, a thunderbolt to HDMI adapter cable, and you're in business. Two monitors is nice because you can put a simulator display on one and your project window on the other, or documentation on one and project on the other, or lots of other combinations.
 
I normally wouldn't but this week I have been working on a laptop and using the actual laptop screen.

My neck is absolutely killing me!

I have not been able to find a natural position staring down into the laptop on the desk.

I would normally work on an iMac with an extra screen. For me, that is the ideal setup.
 
I have a 15" MBP with the normal resolution screen (1440*900) and I use it every day for writing apps. I also have a mac mini hooked up to two 21 inch monitors that I bought with the intent of using as my primary development machine, but I have found that I like writing while sitting on my couch so I still primarily use the MBP. If I know I am going to have a long session of coding and I can also foresee a lot of graphic creation I will go to the mac mini because then I can have XCode in one monitor and photoshop in another
 
I have an 11" MacBook Air as my main computer so of course it's the one I program with. It works great! I run Xcode full screen. Of course it's easier to test when running on a device. When I run in the simulator I have to switch spaces to check the console. It doesn't bother me too much.

I estimate that I sit anywhere from 18 to 24 inches from the screen.
 
I have an MBA 11 and a large monitor, but do most of my programming and app development away from the desk with the large monitor. I just spread stuff out in multiple spaces, and swipe between them as needed.
 
I use a MacBook Pro 17" - However I have a 22" screen connected where I write the code.

However I am thinking of upgrading to a keyboard as well - having the monitor to the side of the laptop causes neck pains. :(
 
I'm on a bus 3 hours a day commuting to and from work, so I do a lot of programming on my actual laptop. It works out okay, but I'm definitely more productive when I'm at work or home and am using a 24-27" screen than when I'm on the bus working on a 13" screen.

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Tander said:
I use a MacBook Pro 17" - However I have a 22" screen connected where I write the code.

However I am thinking of upgrading to a keyboard as well - having the monitor to the side of the laptop causes neck pains. :(
Click to expand...

I position the external screen directly above my laptop screen. It works out a lot better.
 
ArtOfWarfare said:
I'm on a bus 3 hours a day commuting to and from work, so I do a lot of programming on my actual laptop. It works out okay, but I'm definitely more productive when I'm at work or home and am using a 24-27" screen than when I'm on the bus working on a 13" screen.

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I position the external screen directly above my laptop screen. It works out a lot better.
Click to expand...

I assume with the laptop it self closed? or are we talking about raising the monitor?
 
Tander said:
I assume with the laptop it self closed? or are we talking about raising the monitor?
Click to expand...

Yes, I raise the monitor; I set it on top of the box that my MacBook Pro came in and use both it and the laptop's build in screen, keyboard, and trackpad.
 
I program on whatever I have at the time.

At work I use a rMBP 13" + TBD.
At home I use just the rMBP 13" if I'm on the couch, but I also have a 27" iMac in my home office... sorely neglected though.
On the go I use my iPhone or iPad (just can't compile/debug unless I'm writing in Python).

None are worse/better than the others (though I'm sure not many enjoy working on an iDevice itself). Whatever it takes to get the job at hand completed.
 
With a MBPr I'm programming in 1920x1080 all day. My eyes are good though so its ok. I'd like to do 2500x1400 but that's just a tad too small.
 
At the client I use my 15" MBPr, but I still feel like I need alot more screen estate.
At home I use a 2*27" Dell U2711 but then I don't use the laptop, that just totally saves my day, I love it, I actually USE all of the screen estate, I used to have another 21", but I use that for iPad mirroring tests now :)
I would def go for 27" (the Dell U2711 has 2560xsomething res)
 
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