

Ask HN: Raise your hand if you're tilting your external Display - azzleandre

Hi everybody, I'm thinking about buying a laptop plus docking station so I can easily connect to a second display. I'm used to working on a System with at least one added extra-Display.<p>As smaller my Latops got from purchase to pruchase, I've noticed how different display heights as well as resolutions can irritate me somehow when moving my cursor from one screen to another.<p>For example: a small laptops display-top usually rises up to the half of my added Monitor while the laptops display-bottom is below that of the monitor. So configuring windows graphical output helps - but not enough.<p>So what about positioning the extra monitor ABOVE the one of your Laptop? Maybe even having the external monitor flipped on the edge, resulting in an eased difference on the passage between laptop and external display?<p>Is there anyone here who had experiences with this?
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weaksauce
I have a 24" hooked up to my 15" MBP. The Monitor is up and to the right of
the laptop. It does not bother me to have different height monitors because my
workflow is such that I use keyboard shortcuts to move windows to the other
monitor.(sizeup and cinch are the best apps that I have purchased) If you
have/are getting a mac look into sizeup and then map the keys according to
this scheme: [http://zacharypinter.com/2009/06/15/keyboard-driven-
window-m...](http://zacharypinter.com/2009/06/15/keyboard-driven-window-
management-in-osx.html)

with one addition from me: ctrl+option+command+k should center the window in
the screen. This is useful for making the window the left half of the screen
with ctrl+command+j and then centering the smaller window. (sometimes pages
are too hard to read on a large monitor but you don't want to have the window
off to the side.)

Edit: I personally would not like positioning the monitor above the laptop
because I use the 24" much more than the 15" and always looking up would be
extremely bad for ergonomics.

~~~
azzleandre
_always looking up would be extremely bad for ergonomics_ that's true.

Buying a small laptop is great, because I think laptops are there for
mobility, so small = easier to carry = better. But the resolution height
decreases with physical height. Thinkpads achieve 900 pixels in height. But i
want to code in there!

What I've noticed is, that it bothers me writing on my laptop keyboard while
staring at my external screen. I find it more comfortable having the keyboard
right beneath of what Im typing.

~~~
weaksauce
I guess I should have mentioned that I have a Bluetooth mouse(the magic mouse,
I love the scrolling on this so much that I can live without two separate
buttons.) and a ps/2 to USB adapter for my Microsoft keyboard. It's like I am
on a desktop but I can take it to go. I would love to have 3 monitors but I
might go with a 30" in the future to mitigate that desire.

------
ableal
I just use the external 24 (or 25) inch display, and turn off the laptop
display. I paid a bit more for 1920x1200 pixels, not the 'HD-TV' x1080 screens
they're selling more of nowadays.

I also found simple plastic laptop stands with USB hubs. Plug regular keyboard
and mouse into stand, shove stand+laptop to the side. As good as a desktop
machine, plus it suspends with the lid shut.

As for the 'second screen', I just use multiple desktops/spaces. Less
aggravating than switching screens, unless you really, really, need both
visible simultaneously. Linux works fine, Mac seems a bit weak on moving
windows around. Dock or 2nd Gnome toolbar on the side.

P.S. My local IKEA had on exhibit a good DIY monitor stand. Made by screwing
11cm Capita legs onto an Effektiv file frame front 80cm wide. I built a couple
of those - they're great to place the display and laptop, with space to shove
the keyboard and whatever underneath. (Sorry, no URLs, seems IKEA now thinks
you have to login to browse the catalog - news to me.)

