Almost all business applications have horizontal menus and ribbons that take up a decent percentage of a landscape monitor instead of utilising the “spare” screen space on the left or right, and a taskbar usually sits at the bottom or top of the screen eating up even more space (yes I know this can be changed but it’s not the default).
Documents are traditionally printed/read in portrait which is reflected on digital documents.
Programmers often rotate their screens to be portrait in order to see more of the code.
Most web pages rarely seem to make use of horizontal real estate, and scrolling is almost universally vertical. Even phones are utilised in portrait for the vast majority of time, and many web pages are designed for mobile first.
Beyond media consumption and production, it feels like the most commonly used workplace productivity apps are less useful in landscape mode. So why aren’t more office-based computer screens giant squares instead of horizontal rectangles?
So stop using monitors the way I’ve been using them since 1982? Stop using them the way that literally every other screen I interact with functions?
That’s what 2nd and 3rd monitors are for.
That’s not so easy when you’re using multiple curved monitors with a stand or mount.
I get what you’re saying, I really do, but from my point of view it’s incorrect. It breaks the usage paradigm that’s been in place since these things were invented and there’s no other screens in our lives where we intentionally use less than the full width available for a single task.
Yes. Technology has grown and expanded rapidly over those 43 years. You should also be changing with time to take advantage of such technological growth.
Your other screens can be used to multi task as well. Phones/tablets have picture-in-picture and app split-screen (both of which I use frequently).
TVs are admittedly geared towards single wide screen tasks like the obvious: media consumption. Though some smart TVs will also let you web browse while watching TV. And I’m pretty sure game consoles that facilitate streaming allow you to display chat over or beside the game.
That’s what additional monitors can be used for; but the point is with a single wide monitor you don’t have to run a second monitor. You already have that additional space available when/if you want it.
Sure, I’m usually viewing a single window; but there’s plenty of times when I want to open multiple applications side by side. I also play games and watch media; both of which are widescreen experiences. You might not need it 100% of the time, but it’s there when you do.
You’ve got tons of screen real estate to work with then; what’s your concern? You could mount one vertically, you could use different sized displays, you could stack them.
Nobody’s forced you to stick with the setup you have. If you wamt something different, set things up differently; it’s your setup. Don’t trap yourself in a box thinking you can only set things up or use them the way you’ve seen others do it. Be your own person.
This is an unnecessarily patronising response.
Your answer to apps not utilising left and right space efficiently is “well you should do something else then”. It’s not the user’s fault.
Yes, that is my response and I stand by it.
Some applications take advantage of the full widescreen, some don’t need it. It’s entirely up to you to use the additional space for something else when a single application doesn’t need the extra space given to it or you just accept that it’s not needed right now.
Yes, it is the users fault. Because the user is whining that not every single application and piece of media is the exact same form factor like that’s at all a reasonable expectation.
You’re seriously upset that sometimes you’ve got more space available than absolutely necessary?
No I’m not upset by anything 😂
It sounds like you’re excusing poor UI design by saying “just use the extra space for something else”
If only those apps displayed even less content horizontally, we could get even more of them on the screen and be yet more productive, right!? 😂