atw: Re: Dual-screen monitors

Hi Howard (Silcock)

It never ceases to amaze me how many employers try to stick us with the worst machine on the floor and still expect us to spin straw into gold. I am almost the last member of the development team here at ER Mapper without a dual screen.

I have used dual monitor machines on a few contracts in the past (not by choice) and find them a pain, but I am sure that's just preference. I find the inevitable gap between the two screens distracting.

Running dual monitors does allow you to upsize your authoring application while running several callout boxes (handy for working with FrameMaker or AIT), but I can do the same thing on any reasonably large monitor.

Be aware that you might have to upgrade the mainboard in your PC and maybe the operating system to support running dual screens.

Personally I prefer to cycle between (full screen) applications on a couple of machines (using remote desktop) rather than having lots of screen real estate on a single machine.

The limiting factor I come up against is usually the processing speed of the machine rather than screen real estate, with a source application, an authoring application, and a screen capture and perhaps a graphics editing application running at once most of the time.

Damian Forlani-Brennan
Technical Writer
ER Mapper



----- Original Message ----- From: <Howard.Silcock@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>le e
To: <austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, July 21, 2006 12:42 PM
Subject: atw: Dual-screen monitors


I'm interested to get some idea how many tech writers out there use
dual-screen monitors, and how many (of those working on clients' or
employers' machines) have asked for them and been knocked back. Also I'd
be interested to hear from anyone who's switched to one about how they
find it.

A lot of my work seems to involve switching between documents and I'm now
interested in getting one for my PC. We were going to get them when I was
at Defence, but management suddenly had a change of heart and it never
happened. Many of the software developers had them and it seemed to me
that we had an equally good case.

I know from my experience working on short-term contracts that it was
sometimes hard for the client to find me a PC at all when I first arrived
- or even a desk to sit at sometimes! - but for long-term contracts or
permanent positions I'd have thought it a reasonable requirement.

Howard


Howard Silcock
Technical Writer
Electronic Systems
ADI Limited
PO Box 14, Deakin, ACT 2600, Australia
Ph: +61 2 6234 6000
Fx: +61 2 6234 6011
Email: howard.silcock @adi-limited.com
Web: www.adi-limited.com


DISCLAIMER:---------------------------------------------------------------------------
This Email may contain confidential and/or privileged information and is intended
solely for the addressee(s) named. If you have received this information in error, or
are advised that you have been posted this Email by accident, please notify the
sender by return Email, do not redistribute it, delete the Email and keep no copies.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
**************************************************
To post a message to austechwriter, send the message to austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

To subscribe to austechwriter, send a message to austechwriter-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with "subscribe" in the Subject field.

To unsubscribe, send a message to austechwriter-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with "unsubscribe" in the Subject field.

To search the austechwriter archives, go to www.freelists.org/archives/austechwriter

To contact the list administrator, send a message to austechwriter-admins@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
**************************************************


**************************************************
To post a message to austechwriter, send the message to 
austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

To subscribe to austechwriter, send a message to austechwriter-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 
"subscribe" in the Subject field.

To unsubscribe, send a message to austechwriter-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 
"unsubscribe" in the Subject field.

To search the austechwriter archives, go to 
www.freelists.org/archives/austechwriter

To contact the list administrator, send a message to 
austechwriter-admins@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
**************************************************

Other related posts: