Here’s what I was doing yesterday for work.
I had a virtual machine open so I could use my company’s VPN software. In that virtual machine, I was remoted into my work admin box, which I was consulting frequently.
I was also remoted into two different machines that I was using to conduct file transfers.
At the same time, I was remoted into a server that I was transferring files to, to do clean-ups and to run some checks.
I was also remoted into another server that I was using to check some other related things.
In my main machine (outside of the virtual machine), I was using a spreadsheet I was consulting frequently on my secondary monitor while I was consulting my email and writing email on my main monitor, as well as having all the rest of the above visible (mostly) in the background so I could monitor it all.
Additionally, I had my laptop on my desk and booted up so I could do secondary things like use my IM client with a few teammates, and to consult some other documents.
So, let’s see, I was using seven different computers at once. And I had to do so – anything less would’ve slowed me down greatly. If I’d used two or three, the task would’ve taken 2-3 or even four times as long.
Most people can’t multi-task*? Good thing I am not most people, then.
This all took me about 10 hours. If I’d had to do this all on a tablet or on Windows 8, I’d still be working on it. And I’d still be working on it next week, too.
I realize not everyone does the things I do. I know this will sound arrogant (ask me if I care), but most people can’t. Their brains just don’t work like mine.
But enough can, and need to, that switching to a single-tasking tablet or phone OS is not an option.
And yep, I needed to see most or all of this stuff all at once, nearly all of the time. Really.
I literally could not even begin to do 1/10 of my job with a phone OS or on a tablet.
*Scientists who study multi-tasking insist on using an idiotic definition of multi-tasking, then “disprove” something that everyone knows is idiotic. Why do this, I have no idea. Probably something to do with funding that I don’t understand.