Is a glossy or matte LCD screen better for long coding sessions?

I prefer glossy, as long as the light isn't shining on it. Check where your computer is, and where your lights are and where your windows/skylights are. Otherwise, I would always use matte.

Matte, because you get fewer reflections on it, which is good if your workplace is bright. I've worked with both, but especially if you have bright objects around your monitor, or windows at the side, you'll really want to have a matte one.

Constantly having reflections in it is really annoying, and hurts the readability in the long run.

I have a glossy screen on my laptop and I have an LCD standalone monitor that I hook up. I like them both for different reasons.

Reasons I like my glossy monitor:

• Graphics look great
• Colors look vivid
• Presentations look awesome
• Graphics are really easy on the eye and just seem to flow like on TV
• Great for games which all look phenominal
• It's widescreen, great for movies
• I can see all my code without having to scroll right [because of the widescreen]

Reasons I like my Standalone Matte Monitor:

• My code is easier to read [Consequently this is what I use for programming]
• Graphics I design on my glossy screen don't always look great on my matte monitor, but graphics I design on my matte screen always look fantastic on both.
• It's bigger (may not be relevant to you)
• It has a higher contrast ratio and better backlight

If you're somewhere bright or have a light source behind you, i.e. you're sitting with your back to the sun, the glare can be intollerable on both screens... whichever has the highest "Bright" setting will win out here.

What I find a lot of people say about "You should use matte because..." or "You should use glossy because..." are just repeating what the guy in FutureShop or CompUSA spewed out trying to sell them what they ultimately bought.

I have one of each, I love having one of each and love them both for different reasons. Pick the one that's best at whatever you're going to be using it for.

My suggestion is this: Find somewhere you can try them both out side by side for what you're going to be using it for, or if you can, try each of them out for a few days to decide.