I use one screen, and it's too large. I don't understand why anyone would want two screens, let alone eight. I find having anything onscreen but my code and offline documentation (i.e., not in a web browser) incredibly distracting.

What in the world do you put on those other seven screens?

Email, log files, pull requests, two instances of visual studio for different projects and one or two of IntelliJ idea for other projects. Obviously I switch the other c# and java projects in the background unless it is needed to debug them all together. Have you ever worked with at least one team using two different languages while looking at the production logs at the same time? Imagine it multiplied by two and you have your answer.

I think we have the same amount and kinds of "stuff" open, but where we differ is I place things on virtual desktops (organized by a tiling window manager), of which I have between 4 and 8 at any given time. (Typically: web, coding, VMs, one or more bug logs, one or more back-burner projects.)

I can't think of a situation where I'd need to focus on all the things you list simultaneously – even just having e-mail on the screen while I'm trying to code is distracting – so I'd rather have them hidden. Sure, I'll have a couple code windows and documentation or logs open, but that fits with room to spare on a single monitor.

My IDE has enough going on to dedicate an entire HD screen to it. Then I need more room for documentation, and showing the app for debugging. Even if I'm blocking out the rest of the world that's at least two screens full.

> offline documentation (i.e., not in a web browser)

This deeply confuses me. Why does it matter if the documentation is in a browser or not?

I am four keystrokes away from Hacker News if I have a web browser on my screen.

I wrote a simple script for a cronjob that nukes HN and a bunch of other sites via my hosts file during work hours, and removes them from the hosts file outside of work hours. Highly recommended.

I am one touch away from hacker news on my home button on the phone.. What I’m missing???

My phone is in my pocket, not underneath my fingertips. Muscle memory is a powerful thing.

So 4 instead of 6? Either way is seconds.

Temptations in visual view are distracting. Out of sight, out of mind.

"in visual view" being the url bar?

Tab bar, moreso. Not to mention distracting ads, and the need to use Google to search many sites.

man and info come distraction-free out of the box.

I wanted 2, but I went for a 32 inch 4k LG. Beast for productivity. In fact I still use the laptop screen for terminals.

...Why do you use 8 screens?

(And before you ask: Yes, I use one laptop screen for all my work.)

8 Screens? Does that include dev phones or something?

The only people I know using 4+ screens are monitoring Satellites or industrial processing equipment.

I sit on a trading floor where 8 screen is pretty much the norm... I actually use only 6 most of the time.

What do you use 8 screens for out of interest?

I’ll answer you after all the noisy comment that I thought would never start after my previous comment hours ago. I don’t need 8 screens, I would be very happy with no screen at all and a magic leap or hololens or whatever can give me the same experience or better. I need to be able to see at least 3-4 screens of code, preferably 165 chars long. I would like at the same time to look at production logs in other screens. Since I’m not living in a vacuum let’s say that I would dedicate one screen to the emails and one to the chat. So we are at 6 screens, right? Imagine to be able to speak with your colleague that obviously is working from home while having all these under your eyes. I honestly can’t wait for something like this. Probably it won’t be magic leap or hololens. But show me something like that and I’ll buy it before it’s even on the market.

No, I use 2 screens.

I use 28 screens where I work. Just sayin'.