How can you do productive work on these little laptop screens?

[Chaotic42]

I bought an old laptop a few years ago that I mostly use as a Teamspeak client. I've been messing around with it, and I'm wondering how the hell people get real work done on these things.

I have three 22" monitors at work and I still easily fill them up and want more. Not to mention with the horrible keyboards and mice that come with laptops...

I'd pull my hair out trying to work with a spreadsheet or write a program on a laptop. Forget doing my actual job on one. Viva 60" of desktop space!

 

[jlee]

I have a 15" LCD at work. :|

I'd almost think it's worth it to bring my 20" WS over every day...

 

[BCYL]

You make do with what you have, and adjust your own habits accordingly... There's always a way if you are willing to compromise...

 

[JoeKing]

easy,

plug in usb mouse, keyboard. use the video out to a nice 22".

 

[George P Burdell]

You compromise and make do with what you have. Or you walk around with a LCD on your back.

 

[jpeyton]

It's sad you have to do so much work that you need to fill three 22" monitors with it.

There are plenty of jobs that pay a lot better than yours and require little computer work beyond e-mail/Office.

 

[Chaotic42]

Originally posted by: CadetLee
I have a 15" LCD at work. :|

I'd almost think it's worth it to bring my 20" WS over every day...

15"?

No thanks. My single 24" at home is killing me.

 

[Chaotic42]

Originally posted by: jpeyton
It's sad you have to do so much work that you need to fill three 22" monitors with it.

There are plenty of jobs that pay a lot better than yours and require little computer work beyond e-mail/Office.

Well, I make maps. It's a visually intensive process. Map on one monitor, database tables strewn about the second one, guidance on the third. If I could, I'd have spreadsheets and tables on the fourth, source on the fifth, sixth, and seventh, e-mail on the eighth, and the little bit of coding I have to do on the ninth.

As for money, yes, I could make a lot more money doing similar things. The people I work with and the place I live in make up for that... For now.

 

[Mo0o]

Originally posted by: Chaotic42

Originally posted by: jpeyton
It's sad you have to do so much work that you need to fill three 22" monitors with it.

There are plenty of jobs that pay a lot better than yours and require little computer work beyond e-mail/Office.

Well, I make maps. It's a visually intensive process. Map on one monitor, database tables strewn about the second one, guidance on the third. If I could, I'd have spreadsheets and tables on the fourth, source on the fifth, sixth, and seventh, e-mail on the eighth, and the little bit of coding I have to do on the ninth.

As for money, yes, I could make a lot more money doing similar things. The people I work with and the place I live in make up for that... For now.

yes you could always use more monitors. Or move the mouse a few centimeters down and click the next tab on your start bar

 

[Rastus]

Originally posted by: jpeyton
It's sad you have to do so much work that you need to fill three 22" monitors with it.

There are plenty of jobs that pay a lot better than yours and require little computer work beyond e-mail/Office.

In my company, reading email is a full time job, what with all my bosses fwding everything they get.

 

[Kelvrick]

Originally posted by: Mo0o

Originally posted by: Chaotic42

Originally posted by: jpeyton
It's sad you have to do so much work that you need to fill three 22" monitors with it.

There are plenty of jobs that pay a lot better than yours and require little computer work beyond e-mail/Office.

Well, I make maps. It's a visually intensive process. Map on one monitor, database tables strewn about the second one, guidance on the third. If I could, I'd have spreadsheets and tables on the fourth, source on the fifth, sixth, and seventh, e-mail on the eighth, and the little bit of coding I have to do on the ninth.

As for money, yes, I could make a lot more money doing similar things. The people I work with and the place I live in make up for that... For now.

yes you could always use more monitors. Or move the mouse a few centimeters down and click the next tab on your start bar

Excessive mouse movements suck.

I like my current setup. Outlook on one screen, word on another and excel on a third. There are little things in the backgroudn, but those are the main programs. Then I have a laptop that I play games on.

 

[Mo0o]

Originally posted by: Kelvrick

Originally posted by: Mo0o

Originally posted by: Chaotic42

Originally posted by: jpeyton
It's sad you have to do so much work that you need to fill three 22" monitors with it.

There are plenty of jobs that pay a lot better than yours and require little computer work beyond e-mail/Office.

Well, I make maps. It's a visually intensive process. Map on one monitor, database tables strewn about the second one, guidance on the third. If I could, I'd have spreadsheets and tables on the fourth, source on the fifth, sixth, and seventh, e-mail on the eighth, and the little bit of coding I have to do on the ninth.

As for money, yes, I could make a lot more money doing similar things. The people I work with and the place I live in make up for that... For now.

yes you could always use more monitors. Or move the mouse a few centimeters down and click the next tab on your start bar

Excessive mouse movements suck.

I like my current setup. Outlook on one screen, word on another and excel on a third. There are little things in the backgroudn, but those are the main programs. Then I have a laptop that I play games on.

That's what im saying. You could always have a monitor for every program that you're using, or you could occasioanlly click down there

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: jpeyton
It's sad you have to do so much work that you need to fill three 22" monitors with it.

There are plenty of jobs that pay a lot better than yours and require little computer work beyond e-mail/Office.

What's probably funny is that 20 years ago, the person before the person before him probably did that job with no computer, or perhaps with only a 9 inch screen, and was still just as productive if not more productive.

 

[bigdog1218]

Originally posted by: Chaotic42
I bought an old laptop a few years ago that I mostly use as a Teamspeak client. I've been messing around with it, and I'm wondering how the hell people get real work done on these things.

I have three 22" monitors at work and I still easily fill them up and want more. Not to mention with the horrible keyboards and mice that come with laptops...

I'd pull my hair out trying to work with a spreadsheet or write a program on a laptop. Forget doing my actual job on one. Viva 60" of desktop space!

They do "real work." As far as I'm concerned playing around on a computer all day isn't real work.

 

[vshah]

google yodm 3d if you don't know about, nice virtual desktop thingy for xp

 

[thomsbrain]

you can fit a fair amount on 1600x1200. My laptop is closing in on 4 years old and it's still rare to see even desktops running a screen with that much real estate (short of people doing design work).

 

[Chaotic42]

Originally posted by: bigdog1218
They do "real work." As far as I'm concerned playing around on a computer all day isn't real work.

But if they aren't "playing around on a computer all day", then they aren't trying to do work on a tiny screen.

 

[Chaotic42]

Originally posted by: DrPizza
What's probably funny is that 20 years ago, the person before the person before him probably did that job with no computer, or perhaps with only a 9 inch screen, and was still just as productive if not more productive.

I don't think our product existed back then.

Maybe I just need glasses.

 

[clamum]

My work laptop has a 14" or 15" screen, I run at 1400 x 1050, and don't really have a problem with it.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

This thread is silly. The OP has a job that benefits from a multiple-screen setup - this is only true for a tiny minority of people, even those who sit at a computer all day (like I do). I can easily be highly productive with a laptop - certainly no less so than with a desktop.

 

[Chaotic42]

Originally posted by: DonVito
This thread is silly. The OP has a job that benefits from a multiple-screen setup - this is only true for a tiny minority of people, even those who sit at a computer all day (like I do). I can easily be highly productive with a laptop - certainly no less so than with a desktop.

I'm spoiled.

 

[FoBoT]

i miss the pre-GUI days sometimes

all you really need is at least 10 lines of ASCII to use a computer

 

[zerocool1]

Originally posted by: vshah
google yodm 3d if you don't know about, nice virtual desktop thingy for xp

it looks like beryl or compiz

 

[imported_Imp]

It's hpw I feel about the crappy 17" monitor at work. I cringe everytime I'm copying stuff between spreadsheets or Word files. I've grown accustomed to running 2 windows side by side at home on a 24".

 

[mundane]

I became accustomed to my laptop (17") and desktop displays (24",20"), so when I first tried the small laptop (12") it felt like I was working on a postage stamp. But now I prefer the smaller unit - way more portbale than the 'desktop replacement', with enough power for my work, and surprisingly the smaller screen size hasn't impacted my efficiency.