Darkassassin07

LPL showed us how he beats his one-eyed monster. He even convinced a friend to let him beat theirs on camera too. (gotta say, I'm not a fan of the veins or the puss...)

23hr and counting.

Listen To Your Heart

UIs are justified in not pointlessly expanding into space they have 0 use for; leaving it available for other actually useful applications.

When I go to the buffet, I take what I'm actually going to eat, leaving what I don't need for others; I don't just empty the table into a bag knowing full well I won't eat it all.

Because the app you're working on is using all of the space it requires. It has no need to expand into the unused space.

Web pages and office documents are tall items that already take up as much of the screen as they reasonably can. Perhaps you could move the tool bars to the sides (and many applications do have these options), but users tend to find that cumbersome and that still doesn't even come close to utilizing that space. Instead they are kept in a format that allows you to comfortably put two documents (or other windows) side by side because that's FAR FAR more useful than pointlessly expanding the UI.

It sounds like you're excusing poor UI design by saying "just use the extra space for something else"

I'm not excusing poor design, I'm saying in many cases there is no UI design you could implement to use the full space. You have to accept that somethings are a different form factor and either use the extra space for something else yourself or accept that it's just unnecessary space in this particular use case.

I am saying "just use the extra space for something else", because that's exactly what it's for. You have a wide display so that you can display wide content or several pieces of tall/square content. Expecting EVERYTHING to conform to a single form factor is insane.

Not everyone needs to multitask in two apps simultaneously.

No, that's when you just accept that there is additional space available to you for when (not if, WHEN) it becomes necessary.

Just because you don't need it 100% of the time, doesn't mean you shouldn't have it for when you do.

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.

It's not the user's fault.

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?

I don't think widescreens exist "primarily for additional tasks in an office setting"

Perhaps I worded this poorly.

In an office settting; the primary use of a wide display is to have multiple tasks/windows open. An email your composing beside a document you're referencing for example.

My main point here is the additional space is there for you when you want it, instead of being missing when it's needed.

Saying "You're using it wrong" is blaming the user for using the computer the way it was presented out of the box.

You've gotta cater to the lowest common denominator there unfortunately. Things like this are presented in a simple easy to understand format, so that as many people as possible can get started with minimal help. Some people excel and explore the limits of their systems and what they can do with it; others don't get past 'computer basics 101' while using their computers for little more than a web browser.

"you're using it wrong" is a bit harsh. What you're doing isn't wrong, more like "there's more you could do to utilize the technology you have available".

So stop using monitors the way I've been using them since 1982?

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.

Stop using them the way that literally every other screen I interact with functions?

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 2nd and 3rd monitors are for.

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.

That's not so easy when you're using multiple curved monitors with a stand or mount.

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.

they just don't take advantage of the extra space on their own. A wide monitor allows you to put multiple windows side-by-side without the expense of an additional monitor though.

A square monitor is much more limited.

Stop making a single browser window full screen and use the additional space on the side for something useful. A chat application, a notepad, a calculator, file browsing, a second browser window, documents, etc.

Or rotate the display to be tall instead of wide if you really want the extra vertical space.

Just because you haven't bothered to take advantage of the space doesn't mean it's useless. You've just trapped yourself in a close-minded box. Making the monitor wider doesn't 'reduce the amount of viewable area top to bottom', it adds additional area to the sides, primarily for additional tasks in an office setting. It's up to you to actually use it.

Rotate your wide monitor to be tall.