The working from home thread: tips and advice

on a mac bettersnaptool is $3. Personally i hate the feature where drag/dropping a window causes it to resize, not least because it requires yet another mouse click. Spectacle (free) manages it with keystrokes

Currently I'm finding that neither powertools or the inbuilt PiP work for Citrix... Which won't matter shortly.

My laptop has only one HDMI out and doesn't seem to recognise a HDMI to USB converter. Am I missing something?

Also the new 34 AOC has provided 5 different drivers but I'm not sure what they do or which would help. None of them seem to have done much in installing them. (lol)

Spectacle is no longer maintained, but there is Rectangle

I use Rectangle to manage 4 desktops across a 49" super wide display on an M1 MBP.

There are occasionally some oddities in how it manages windows but, even from resume / unplugging, it's pretty consistent in maintaining my chosen layout across all 4 areas.

4 pcs?!

I need a small (cannot emphasise that enough) desk to fit a nook I have. No large monitors or sound systems to work about, just a laptop and wireless mouse.

The space is 80cm (W) x 35cm (D) and I just can't find anything suitable. Has anyone come across anything freestanding of that sort of size?

Alternatively I could go slightly larger and have a foldable, freestanding desk. Again, any recommendations?

Pressing win+tab allows you to create multiple desktops (top-left corner).

Buy separate legs from Ikea and B&Q to cut down a piece of ply for a top?

Futon Company have a few small desk options.

Yeah, that's the contingency!

@hiraethus good recco, thanks! (but pricy of course..!)

No, four desktops

Four disk stops?

^ Surprisingly close to how CB pronounces desktops.

😂😂😂😂

There are folding camper van table frames you can buy on eBay. You can then source your own top. Somewhere in this thread there's a company that'll cut surfaces to order if you want funny shapes or holes. Or just get a nice thick piece of ply. Otherwise I just discovered that the bargain bin section of ikea has tonnes of kitchen work tops and doors you can hack.

I'll try and find the folding frame I have saved, as we go back and forth as to what to do to reclaim our dinning room table.

One thing worth pointing out is that your depth is very shallow, especially once you account for the tilt of your laptop screen. Just double check and role-play what it'll be like. For that reason I would probably definitely go folding.

Https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Campervan-Folding-Table-Brackets-2-x-Folding-Bracket-Table-Extension-Black-/264731823840

No comment on the specific quality of these ones, but this is what I saved. I think it was Stevo's idea.

1 Attachment

What would be good would be half folding that left 25-30cm still there so you didn't actually have to clear everything when you stop working

the bargain bin section of ikea

Ikea has a bargain-bin section! I never knew. Where are they usually, out the back by the warehouse?

Where are they usually, out the back by the warehouse

Yup. Usually where you pick the flat trolleys up. It's mostly broken / ex display things but there are some complete bargains there too.

Just before the tills in the Edmonton one.

I bought all our kitchen white goods in the ikea bargain corner. The only thing with a dent was the dishwasher that's hidden anyway. Took a few months of checking the bargain corner every time we were at ikea but we saved over £1500

The Wembley one is before the tills on the left - sort of back on itself.

I knew about it, but didn't realise that there were so many worksurfaces and doors.

White goods are also a great tip. We need a new freezer at some point so are going to measure up and keep an eye out as there was one heavily marked down.

Judging by how many sloping ones I've used, I think getting a folding leaf to work really well must be quite hard.

Sort of relevant to this thread, does anyone want a switch? I've got a Netgear prosafe GS110TP I'm looking to shift. Even 2nd hand they still seem to go for good money, but happy to do £20+postage (nb they're not that light).