Low resolution? Try this.
Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2011 12:18 am
I did this quite a long time ago but I didn't realize it could be a nice idea to share. I don't know about you but I spend 95% of my computer time web browsing this days. Given the low resolution on the X6x, I spent some time looking for a "solution" (for a problem that doesn't exist?).
I use SeaMonkey but it probably works with FireFox as well. Well I installed the following plug-ins:
1) Compact Menu.
2) No Squint.
The idea is simple: if you simply zoom out, everything gets smaller and the low resolution of the text makes it unreadable. So, instead of doing what common sense says, you do the opposite, you make text larger and then you zoom out. Everything important (such as page structure, tables, images and the like) gets smaller, including text, but text is still readable because it is shrunk from a bigger size. My settings are:
Minimum Font Size: 14
Zoom Level (default): 70%
I get about the same level of "performance" as my other high resolution screens, it almost feels like nothing is tweaked at all. Just to make things roomier, I hide the menu bar and use Compact Menu to brig it up.
Other programs can use similar tricks. I stopped using Microsoft's Office long time ago and use Open Office instead. While not as convenient as the web browser, you can still make the UI smaller in the options.
You can also adjust the DPI to around 85-90% in the graphics card control settings in Windows XP.
I use SeaMonkey but it probably works with FireFox as well. Well I installed the following plug-ins:
1) Compact Menu.
2) No Squint.
The idea is simple: if you simply zoom out, everything gets smaller and the low resolution of the text makes it unreadable. So, instead of doing what common sense says, you do the opposite, you make text larger and then you zoom out. Everything important (such as page structure, tables, images and the like) gets smaller, including text, but text is still readable because it is shrunk from a bigger size. My settings are:
Minimum Font Size: 14
Zoom Level (default): 70%
I get about the same level of "performance" as my other high resolution screens, it almost feels like nothing is tweaked at all. Just to make things roomier, I hide the menu bar and use Compact Menu to brig it up.
Other programs can use similar tricks. I stopped using Microsoft's Office long time ago and use Open Office instead. While not as convenient as the web browser, you can still make the UI smaller in the options.
You can also adjust the DPI to around 85-90% in the graphics card control settings in Windows XP.