What do you use your secondary monitor for?

[Acoshi]

Since I am new to the dual monitor setup I just put my bittorrent downloads, terminal, and system monitor.
Out of curiosity I was wondering what other people use their secondary monitor for.

[simtaalo]

depends what im doing, sometimes i have browser in one screen and IM with chat windows in the other, sometimes torrent client. sometimes i have browser and IM on one screen and a movie running in the other.

when im actually doing work though i can have an audacity window on each screen making it easier to do stuff between them.

[wd5gnr]

Depends. At home I usually have my e-mail on one screen and the browser on the other. At work I usually have WebEx (well it is sort of WebEx; long story) on one screen while I am actually working on the other.

When I am writing or editing, I usually have the word processor on one screen and either another document on the other screen or a browser.

When programming, the other screen has the help.

Right at this moment I have a VirtualBox VM running Windows XP (ugh) in full screen. The seamless mode is good in VirtualBox but does not work well with dual monitors.

[scragar]

I had 2 monitors for a short while after my main monitor broke(got a nice replacement one, figured I'd try running them both), I didn't actualy use it for much, I wanted to run video's in one and other stuff in the other, but that never worked out, every time I started a video and moved it onto the second desktop I forgot about it :p

If I get a better monitor for spare than the one I was using I might try again, I think it will be handier than me using multiple workspaces in my current way, but I can't see any benifits for myself right now.

[kk0sse54]

As stated before it total depends on what I'm doing, most common setup is Opera on one monitor and Songbird on the other.

[steveneddy]

Hanging t-shirts.

[PurposeOfReason]

I had them and noticed that for 95% of things the 2nd monitor just ends up being more space. Nothing really that is useful.

IMO One 24" at 1900x1200 > two anything up to 22"

[ARhere]

I use dual monitors at work and it is essential.

I usually have schematics/OrCAD up on one and the other has a dozen or so data sheets open in a PDF viewer.

-AR

[sethvath]

Initially the extra monitor was used for multiboxing wow accounts so I can multi-level 5 shamans to 70 at the same time. These days I no longer play much so its firefox on screen 1 and opera on screen 2 while debating online with others which browser is faster. /sarcasm

[ARhere]

I had them and noticed that for 95% of things the 2nd monitor just ends up being more space. Nothing really that is useful.

IMO One 24" at 1900x1200 > two anything up to 22"

I will help you, send me your 2nd monitor!

-AR

[PurposeOfReason]

I will help you, send me your 2nd monitor!

-AR
Ha, I'd do triple no problem. Gaming would be amazing.

[oldsoundguy]

My second screen is a 42" HDTV. I seldom turn on the feed to it except to view video content.

My primary is a 24" wide aspect cinema display (rotatable)

[xphlo]

Love the second monitor for docs/manuals.

I jump around programming languages often, and find myself digging through reference manuals a lot. Its awesome not having to min/max - front/back several times over. Its all there on the left, and then vim takes up the right.

[earthpigg]

my media and system monitor hangs out on my 2nd monitor.

media is anything from a movie, youtube, rhythmbox, etc.

[tgalati4]

Xeyes to see behind you while you surf.

[epidemiks]

I use a widescreen lcd for most things like browsing/gimp/audiacity etc + conky, and an dodgy old crt for email, terminal stuff (yakuake) etc - stuff that doesn't need correct colour/gamma

[Xzallion]

I'm setting up for two 22 inch monitors on my next computer, for the following uses:


Writing - Any time I need to do some writing, it is handy to have my document open on one monitor, and the second monitor having a web browser open for research.
GIMP - I plan to do the image editing on one monitor, and have the tools/second image view on the other monitor.
Web Surfing - I like to keep a secondary application open, like Amarok or thunderbird, and would prefer to be able to just look over at it instead of alt+tab to it.
Misc. work in Blender/ other programs.


Thats what I will be using two monitors for in linux. I plan to get a second video card and another two monitors for my windows usage, mainly because I can. I'll figure out a use for them (One will be dedicated to Amarok in windows thats for sure ;) )

[xpod]

Although i do have two monitors on my desk(19" & 22") i have them both connected to separate boxes at the moment so it`s not exactly a dual monitor setup.
I do use the bigger 40" hdtv in the lounge as a secondry screen for watching movies now and again but thats not exactly a dual-monitor setup either.

[RandomJoe]

At work, the second has email or reference materials. Darn laptop screens just aren't high-res enough anymore. (Used to have a Dell w/ 1600x1200, I could pretty well work with one screen on that. Can't get that nice anymore, the vertical res is too low on newer laptops.)

At home I have a four head setup! :) Three monitors in an arc in front of me, the fourth output to a projector for the 11-foot screen on the wall.

The projector is just for movies, have a pretty nice home theater setup.

The three monitors are there just to let me spread things out. I dislike overlapping windows! Sometimes I'll have a reference doc on one screen, while working in another. Maybe a movie / TV show on to one side if I'm not into it enough to bother with the projector. (I have a MythTV box in the back room, and all my movies on the server.)

I might be fine with one really large display - again assuming the resolution is high enough. But I already have all these panels, so why buy something else? I have plenty of other toys to spend my money on! ;)

Oh yeah, I also use the screens because of my cats! :D Sometimes one or more will pick an inconvenient spot to sit down - like right in front of whatever I'm working on. Now I can just drag the stuff over to another window! Or, they might suddenly become very interested in catching the pointer. It's much more fun on multiple screens - instead of just watching their heads wave, I can get them pacing back and forth between screens!

Funniest, though, is when I turn the projector on. They know the sound it makes when starting up, and get excited - run to the bottom of the screen, looking up in anticipation. Then I can move the cursor over there, and they go nuts jumping and running to catch it! Good thing I never bought an expensive screen. Still using a set of white bedsheets. They've occasionally gone climbing up the screen after the cursor when it was up near the ceiling!

[avickery]

At work I use 2 x 19" LCDs at 1440 x 900. On the left hand monitor I have firefox open for previewing sites and on the right I have Aptana Studio. It works out pretty well except that I wish they were two 26" LCDs. :)

[rativid]

At main monitor working with Eclipse at secondary opened documentation.

[markp1989]

I have two hannsg 17" Wide screen , running at 1440 x 900


I normally have firefox on the left side, and emesene conversation or a media player on the right side

[fedex1993]

I have two 22inch 1650x1080 monitors i always seem to use them while messing with WoW in wine playing once side and firefox and usually Ims and chat.

[schauerlich]

Web browser and IM on the main screen (with a document open if I'm doing something for school), and on the second screen i have email/music player in the background with a fullscreen terminal running irssi.