Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!mcgill-vision!bloom-beacon!bu.edu!snorkelwacker!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!swrinde!emory!mephisto!ncsuvx!news
From: rnf@shumv1.uucp (Rick Fincher)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple
Subject: Re: What to do with the GS
Message-ID: <1990Feb15.152154.22827@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu>
Date: 15 Feb 90 15:21:54 GMT
References: <900214.16355107.044715@UWEC.CP6>
Reply-To: rnf@shumv1.ncsu.edu (Rick Fincher)
Organization: NCSU Computing Center
Lines: 46

In article <900214.16355107.044715@UWEC.CP6> S707503@UWEC.BITNET (MARK RINECK) writes:

stuff deleted

>
>4) Higher graphics mode resolution, for what application, it doesn't
>matter. 640 X 480 is at times very impressive and something the GS
>needs!
>

Everyone agrees that the gs needs higher resolution.  There are several ways
to do it however.  You can add more pixels or add more colors per pixel (color
is a form of resolution), or both.

Adding greater vertical resolution would require a more expensive monitor
unless you do it in interlace mode with all of the problems that involves.

Adding more colors would be compatible with existing equipment and improve
things a lot.  Some of the 320 by 200 pictures on the gs are pretty impressive
in 16 colors. 640 by 200 in 256 colors would be very impressive, work on
existing low cost monitors, etc.

The cost of monitors goes up exponentially with greater numbers of horzontal
and vertical screen pixels.  Adding colors doesn't change the monitor require-
ments at all.

Adding extra colors is more useful for desktop video, painting etc.

More pixels is better for detailed work like CAD large text displays etc.

One thing I've seen on the Mac is that lots of pixels make the text smaller
on a given size monitor.  Either that or more detailed fonts of the same
screen size can be used.  I've seen Mac users with their noses pressed up
against 19 inch monitors because the characters were so small they were hard
to read.  The characters were well formed because of the resolution but they
were real small, hence dificult to work with.

Hopefully a happy medium can be reached with more pixels for the text and
CAD folks and more colors for the other applications.

If Apple is smart they will make the video usable with VGA type monitors so
that they will have a good selection of cheap monitors to buy.  $500 for
the IIgs monitor is too high.

Rick Fincher
rnf@shumv1.ncsu.edu