Large displays and the problem with Maximize

I don't have multiple monitors, but at work I have a widescreen monitor and I never maximize windows. They get too big to work with.

One of the advantages of small monitors, ironically, is that because they're small, they nudge users into a simpler, windowless method of working. Instead of wasting time sizing, moving, and z-ordering windows, users only need to deal with one maximized window at a time. They can flip between maximized applications in much the same way they change channels on the television. But once your display gets to 1600 x 1200 or beyond, this easy one-app-per-display model isn't feasible any more. Dan recently ran into this problem when he upgraded to a 30" LCD:

Users of 30-inch monitors face the terrible, terrible problem of how to effectively use all of that space. You don't often want to maximise a folder or document window on a screen this big; either you'll end up with a lot of white space and important program buttons separated by a vast expanse of nothing, or you'll get lines of text 300 or more characters long, which are difficult to read.

That's the large display paradox. Having all that space can make you less productive due to all the window manipulation excise you have to deal with to make effective use of it.

Personally, I'm a card-carrying member of the prestigious three monitor club, which means I'm one step ahead of Dan. At least until he doubles or triples down:

Eventually I would like to get another monitor, but I don't need one quite yet.