Every developer I know (except the crazies) uses 2 ore more monitors. I was working diligently today, when my mind shot off on a tangent about how much better life would be if Microsoft would finally actually add REAL support for multiple monitors.
For instance, lets revisit the Microsoft changes in Vista. They added the nice fancy Windows-Tab task switcher, which is much cooler than the old Alt-Tab. But it sucks. They could have used the opportunity to add multi-monitor support. Get rid of the old crappy switcher all together. Alt-Tab becomes the new fancy switcher. Windows-Tab? Switch between applications anchored to the monitor that currently has focus.
Working in Excel today, I was again reminded of the lacking multi-monitor support. What could make my experience in Excel (and other apps) more productive? How about 2 maximize options for the parent, one to maximize to the current monitor. Another, maybe right clicking the maximize button, to maximize to all monitors. Have this work on child windows as well. BOOM. Open Excel, maximize to all monitors. Open 2 documents, maximize each inside Excel to one monitor. No more manually resizing the windows around to make the fit their respective machines.
What else? Been inside VS lately? Open 2 different kinds of documents. A code behind and an aspx page for instance. Fit them one to each monitor. Click on one, then the other. By default the toolbars are different heights. So the screen goes all jittery whack while it resizes everything. Move back and forth quickly. Bah. Did you also notice that most likely your break between the 2 files, that you so carefully placed right at the break between the monitors also jiggery slipped around and probably doesn't line up when you have focuse on one monitor or the other?
Come on Microsoft. Something this trivial can not be that hard. You want to empower users in a way that keeps them coming back? This is a one I would like to see. Make it supported in Windows at the API level, none of this crappy half ass support we have in video card drivers now.