Well, a bit of progress on both the Xywrite and monitor fronts, but still
major legibility problems. Thanks to Andy's and Flash's suggestions, I
have made my Xywrite window much larger, with larger type. I switched from
Bitmap to TrueType (I don't have Lucinda Console or raster that you mentioned),
and it's now in 13x22 (that's lines, I suppose). But it's confusing: Last
night, none of the improvements I'd made in the Xy window would show up on the
full screen. Today, however, I turned on the computer, and the full screen was
quite changed--into tiny squeezed type that's unreadable. I'm not
totally opposed to writing in Xy window now, but two problems there: 1) I can't
get a righthand margin--the type goes right up against the vertical border of
the window, and 2) the new TrueType typeface is sans serif, which isn't the
worst thing, I know, but I sure did like the serifed font of Xywrite in full
screen--I guess that's the Bitmap. Bitmap still shows up in full screen--I'm
unable to change the font there--but, as I said, it's shrunken and squeezed, and
still blurry. It seems that the full screen either doesn't respond at all or
responds weirdly to the changes I make in the Xy window. Does this have
anything to with anything? In Editor Properties, under Screen, I've tried
changing the number of lines--from default to 25 to 50. I've changed back
to 25, and again, whatever I do in the Xy window, doesn't seem to translate
in the full screen. (I've tried restarting the computer several times to
see if this effects it, and it doesn't seem to.) Or is this a problem? Of
all the icons at the top of the Xy window--copy, font, properties, font, etc.,
the only one that doesn't respond to clicking it, is "background." Anyone know
what that's for? As for the new LCD monitor itself: I somehow found how
to make the font 125% the size. The list of email, the address bar, and
the toolbar at the top (or is that the taskbar?) are easier to ready now simply
because the letters are larger. But the underlying legibility problems remain:
white ghosts behind some letters (especially in black-on-gray), other letters
blurred; broken, unsolid letters, and thin and thick renditions of the same
letter, sometimes in the same line. (As I wrote that last sentence, I got a
thin "t" in thin, and a thick "t" in thick!). That is, the legibility
problems I described in my first message below are making me think that
(whether or not I solve the Xywrite problem) an LCD widescreen is just a bad
match for my old ME computer. I saw in some 2005 archived messages that
Jordan seemed pleased enough with a 19" Planar LCD and Irene Silverman
even more pleased with a Samsung SyncMaster 570 V flat LCD screen.
http://p70-144.acedsl.com/xywrite/2005/msg00157.htm
If either of you see this message, can you tell me how are those monitors
working now? Or can anyone else suggest an LCD monitor more compatible with an
ME? Or should I go CRT?
Thanks for any help
beforehand!
Leslie
----- Original Message -----
Subject: Re: New monitor/bad
resolution
I think I've had the problem, and this was the
solution.
The screen I'm talking about is not actually an xy screen --
it's part of the windows command line (cmd) screen. the grey bar above the
actual xy screen where, (on mine) you see the words "editor.exe" and the
windows ikons to minimize, close or full screen the window.
I'm doing this on windows xp (I think) but it has also
worked on older ones -- 95 and 98.
'bitmap' and 'true type' I think are windows things. This
may be connected with the way xy is loaded into your machine. Apparently the
way I have it -- below windows, in directory \xy -- is not kosher, but it
seems to work.
andy t
----- Original Message -----
Subject: Re: New monitor/bad
resolution
Andy,
Not sure which Xywrite
screen, or bar above it, you mean. If I right-click on the desktop and
click "properties," then "settings," I can choose colors and
the screen area, which I've already done but to no avail.
Do you mean the Xywrite screen
that you get when you're in Xywrite and do alt-enter to get the smaller
xywrite window? There I've clicked "Font" and the choices I get
aren't Lucinda console or raster but Bitmap or True Type. In any case, when
I switch back to the full screen, only the Bitmap shows up. Same with the
font size: I can make it smaller, but on full screen it remains the same
size as ever.
Is there a Xywrite screen
I'm missing? I'd like to try changing the font and size, but so far it
doesn't work.
In any case, I'm wondering if
anyone else out there has had similar resolution problems when pairing a new
monitor with Xywrite and/or with an old computer that supports
Xywrite.
----- Original Message -----
Subject: Re: New monitor/bad
resolution
might be your choice of type.
right click on the bar above the xywrite screen, choose
defaults, then fonts.
you get two choices -- Lucinda console and raster fonts,
(and choice of sizes -- but that can come later)
whatever you have, choose the other and see if that
works better.
beyond that -- others seem to have a lot of high tech
solutions and type choices, but this is the easy one if it
works.
andy t
----- Original Message -----
Subject: New monitor/bad
resolution
I hope someone can help on
this (and Hi, Jon Pareles!)
My new flat-panel monitor has
terrible resolution for print. The video and graphics work
fine, but text is difficult to read in Windows and even worse in
Xywrite, where the widescreen seems to pull the letters till they're fat
and fuzzy and, regardless of adjustments
in brightness etc., dull.
Some
specs:
I'm using Xywrite III Plus,
version 3.56.
My computer is the horrid
Windows ME (Dell Dimension 1400), which I keep solely for
Xywrite.
The monitor I just retired
came with the ME and the screen is 13" wide, 9 1/2" high, and 16" diagonal.
The new monitor is a Dell
1908WFP, 16" wide, 10" high, 19" diagonal.
Windows problems: Except
for most headlines and subheads, the letters themselves aren't quite
solid; sometimes I'll get a thin "t," a word later, a thicker "t."
The same word may contain both wispy and solid letters.
Some letters blur, though they'll be unblurry a line away. The
words in the address bar are harder to read, and when highlighted, in
reverse type, still harder. They and the black-on-gray letters at the
top of an email (those that spell "Edit," "Format," etc.) sometimes come
with little halos, and when they don't, the letters tend to
blur, the black of the letter spilling into the white of
the halo, resulting in dark gray fuzz.
The screen slumps in the
middle, most at the top, where the straight lines and bars make the
sagging more apparent. This occurs on websites, email, and
Xywrite.
Xywrite
problems:
The letters are too fat
and blurry. I expect them to be larger, but as I said, the
widescreen seems to bloat them. Also, the command field and about
the top 10th of the screen are darker than the
rest.
My previous monitor handled
Xywrite beautifully: I bought a new one only because the tiny
type on Windows was straining my eyes. By
comparison, the old monitor's white-on-black screen was a
relief. Now, the new monitor is a strain in both Win and Xy.
Fiddling while eyes burn:
Both on Xy and Win, I've
fiddled with brightness, contrast, sharpness, pixels, and "phase"
(though the online manual doesn't explain what that is). While some
combinations of those seem to improve Windows' resolution, it's not
quite enough. No combination of adjustments improves the type on
Xywrite. (Well, lowering the pixels is better than expanding
them.)
On "Display Properties," I
have the color set at Tru Color (32 bit) and the Screen Area at 1280 by
800 pixels. The online instructions advise 1400 x 900 pixels, but my
computer doesn't get there. Again, I've tried different combos of
pixels and color, but these two are the best.
So what to do? More
adjustments? Are there adjustments within Xywrite I should
try? (Please be aware, if you aren't by now, I'm not tech savvy.)
Is the widescreen and/or LCD the problem, and should I try to
find a square and/or CRT monitor instead? Do they even make 'em square
anymore? I purchased this thing from Staples less than 30 days ago,
and so a return or
exchange is possible.
Any advice is most
welcome.
Thanks!
Leslie
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