I have 2 Dell 24 inchers side by side with blazing fast Ivy Bridge rig that most gamers would envy (I'm not a gamer though, I just like a V12 under the hood). I think this is the most optimal set up for a programmer. With 2 x 27 inch there would be a little bit too much head turning, same goes for 3 any size displays. In my opinion 2 displays is a must for a web developer, since there's always a browser on one display and a code editor on the other.

Same here. I've been using two 24" monitors for ages and it's always a bit annoying to do something with my laptop.

How do you setup them? I suppose you have a primary one facing you like if it was a single monitor?

I have the twin Dell 24's with an MBP -- here's an image how I have it setup: http://briandear.tumblr.com/post/24403674220/my-development-...

Maybe not the "best" way, but perfect for my workflow (I deal with mobile web development so I need a bunch of small browser windows open simultaneously to test on the multitude of mobile user agents.) I usually have specs, chrome, campfire, email on the left, code in the center and my development browser windows on the right.

No, they're a bit away from my position and equally placed to left and right.

Agreed. The rest look mostly like non-square Instagram photos.

That being said, I still prefer working of single machine, with virtualization. A complete take-away. Dropbox still hasn't stopped public sharing, so http://bit.ly/NtMjGd.

This is pretty identical to mine, so I have a natural bias towards this (and the only one I took seriously). There's something to be said for simplicity, but too simple is just not realistic. For example, in the first picture, it's just a laptop on a table. No pen, no paper, no earphones, no mouse (!). There isn't even a power cable. I know it's to make it look clean, but like I said - not realistic.

But why does he have an HDTV for Netflix at his workstation? It does seem to be the best setup for working before that's mentioned, and afterword it looks a lot like goof-off central.

There's three monitors facing me, and the HDTV is the fourth (off to the right, you can't see it). Attached to it is a Cisco Umi (for 1080p telepresence with the home office) and an Xbox. Neither are on all the time. When I'm totally stressed or can't fix a problem I will either A) call someone and pair or 2) watch something on NetFlix or do a level of Just Cause 2. At that point my subconscious has usually dislodged the issue.

Also, I personally work better when I can give a bit of my brain something else to think about so it shuts up and I can get real work done. That's why I listen to music; and, that's why during my late nights in grad school, I played a movie over and over again in the background. "How to Train Your Dragon" was the preferred feature, by the way.

I typically used "Wizard People, Dear Reader" for this task.

Sometimes you need a swap that mental context out for a while and then revisit it, especially when you get stuck. Netflix would be a good match for this, even if it's something semi-relevant like TED talks.

Ya, it's also good for LiveMeetings that I'm not really listening to.