General Consultant Discussion

/rant on/ Is it just me or is the 16:9 aspect ratio that took over about 5 years ago for both laptops and desktop screens the STUPIDEST change ever??? If you own a laptop or desktop to watch movies primarily, it makes alot of sense. The funny thing is the rise of tablets has taken over that duty alot and all the ipods are close to 4:3 aspect (I know, its not quite) Just look at your screen as you read this. I bet the majority of you have big grey areas to the left and right if your browser is maximized. We read vertically, not horizontally! Most screens aren't hires and large enough to keep to apps side by side full time unless you have 20-20 vision. It also means that you now have big bezels on your laptop screen and often large blank areas to the left and right of your keyboards in order to make room for this unproductive aspect ratio. There is definitely a niche for a manufacturer to offer a state of the art laptop with 4x3. Problem is LCD production is all about volume and I don't think its easy sourcing a 4x3 screen now... /rant off/

Since monitors are sized by the diagonal, it was a way to make the screens about 10% smaller without anyone noticing.

I am just so surprised that I see so little commentary on this issue that is literally staring everybody in the face daily

I think this 16:9 and hi res likely has made it easier for most folks to handle more than 1 doc at a time. If if not side by side, having them overlay or using the icons on the task bar are a bit less constricting. I feel it when I switch to smaller devices. But I know I'm strange. I've always gone for the largest laptop with the highest-res screen to put more info on the screen. I also keep my glasses to 20:20. When people complain that they can't read the screen I tell them they have nobody to blame but themselves: optometrists agree that (with very few exceptions) all can achieve 20:20 with correct glasses.

I now have reading glasses (didn't always need them :( ) The thing I hate is when I look away, anything not close is blurry. I then take the glasses off and it takes a fair amount of time for my eyes to re-adjust. Sucks getting old :)

I've worn glasses since the age of 12. I have little sympathy for you specific plight ... but I agree with your general observation!

I've had distance glasses since I was 8. Now I need a different prescription for medium distance (computer monitor), and still no glasses for reading (each distance prescription screws up reading). Tried trifocals but they just drove me nuts.

You weren't always nuts??

I have three 23 inch monitors placed in front of my work desktop and I really like the 16:9. I tried it a few years ago with the old aspect and didn't like it. With the three placed side by side it immerses me into what I am doing and I use my peripheral vision for alerts or documentation related to my task. On my laptop I like having the extra space to put multiple documents side by side to mimic the space I have at the office. What I do hate is the screen size on my net book. It makes the who thing seem small and makes it difficult to be productive. I prefer the smaller net books to have the old form which gives me more height.

yea but 3 1600x1200 4:3 monitors would probably be better than 3 1080p monitors. About the same number of dots, but alot less of the content would be in your peripheral vision. We have as much focus up & down as left to right with our eyes.

It is having the content in my peripheral that is what I liked about it. Kind of like a flight sim. The more screens you have wrapping the effect into your peripheral the more immersed you are into the game. With taller, but not wider, screens like I had before, the 21 inch next to each other was not as wide. I had more lines (where the monitors joined) in my direct vision where now it is off to the side and I do not notice them as much. I am sure it is a preference thing. What I think would be great is if windows knew the edged of my monitors when using three of them like it does using one of them and allow me to snap to the side. I can snap to the far right then the far left or to the top but nothing in the middle.

I turned one of my wide screens to portrait mode. That's the one I use for reading, web surfing, etc. The wide screen is for apps/websites that don't scale nicely. I keep my laptop screen up for the little apps (chat, webex, etc), and it works great.

If you use multiple monitors and your not using this, your crazy. Best utility on the planet for this purpose and the way Microsoft should have done it. Apple is even worse. The way the menu sticks up in the upper left monitor regardless of where the App is horrible but the kool-aid drinkers would never complain: http://www.realtimesoft.com/ultramon/

I agree. I have been using UltraMon for years.

I too have been using Ultramon for years and when I sit down to help someone who does not have it, I get very frustrated. I use the hot keys all day to move between monitors or maximize, etc. Plus it is fun to have one background picture spread across both screens.