With Longhorn, Microsoft hopes to improve the visual quality of the computing experience. Company representatives at a WinHEC demonstration of a pre-beta version of Longhorn said that the goal is to be able to run the OS on screens with a resolution of 120 dots per inch or higher.
That's far more refined than screens today. Current 17-inch SXGA displays have a resolution of about 95 dots per square inch, said Bob O'Donnell, an analyst at market research firm IDC.
More dots lead to crisper, more defined images. They can also make it easier to view high-resolution images. Increasing the resolution on a current monitor shrinks the size of the image, a phenomenon that can be observed by cranking the resolution setting in a computer's control panel to the maximum. At some top settings, text becomes almost impossible to read. With a higher overall resolution, users won't have to go to the extremes of the resolution spectrum.
"Higher isn't better, if everything gets smaller," said O'Donnell.
Lol 95 dots per square inch eh?? Currently my monitor is displaying about 8428 dots per square inch. I'm guessing most people run their monitors no higher than between about 80 and 90 dpi. Oh and Mr. O'Donnell, what if you'd like to fit more on your screen?
