4 ms·

Lovely machine but I personally can't stomach the 16:9 aspect ratio. This usually limits my options when it comes to hardware. Wish Dell came out with similar b

Lovely machine but I personally can't stomach the 16:9 aspect ratio. This usually limits my options when it comes to hardware. Wish Dell came out with similar but sporting a 3:2 or 16:10 screen (with Linux support).

mellamoyo 10y ago
What do you find problematic about the 16:9 aspect ratio?
- dijit 10y ago
  Low verticality and too much width, which sucks when reading long snippets of code which are 84 columns wide.
  - rpdillon 10y ago
    I wish more apps had an equivalent to Emacs' follow mode. It spreads narrow content across two (or more) columns. https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/emacs/Follow-Mode.html https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/emacs/Fo...
  - nightski 10y ago
    I use a 21:9 screen and can definitely report that it does not suck. I can now stack 4 snippets of 84 column wide code across my screen instead of one.
    - bluedino 10y ago
      Going column to column doesn't disorient you?
      - nightski 10y ago
        Not at all. If it's combined with a tiling window manager it is bliss!
- superplussed 10y ago
  I'm assuming it's that the web is a vertical medium not a horizontal one.
vvanders 10y ago
Surface Book gives you the 3:2 screen, better GPU and a bit more battery. It's a bit heavier but I'm found the build quality to be outstanding.
- bhauer 10y ago
  I have a Surface Book and I will vouch for how awesome the 3:2 display is. I agree that 16:9 is a bit disappointing. It's the lingering dominion of HD televisions converging on computing. I am glad that some companies are re-asserting the unique needs of computing and adjusting monitors accordingly.
  - r00fus 10y ago
    Macbooks (aside from the 11" Air) are all 16:10. I find it acceptable and for a strange reason feel cramped even on large 16:9 displays.
    - yborg 10y ago
      This hasn't been true since the Retina screens came out. One of the reasons I was sad to "upgrade" to the new MBP from my 2012 model was losing the 16:10 display.
      - dylanh 10y ago
        2015 macbook pro retina here, which is 1920x1200 (or 1440x900). 1920/1200 = 1440x900 = 16/10 = 1.6...
      - r00fus 10y ago
        Untrue - my MBPr has a bunch of display options, most of them are native 16:10. You may want to hold off on the upgrade for other reasons, but display ratio shouldn't be one of them.
zzalpha 10y ago
You'd be surprised how quickly you get used to it. It's definitely a compromise, but you're trading vertical resolution for stability and compactness. Ever try using a 3:2 laptop on an airplane these days? It's not fun...
tannhaeuser 10y ago
That was my (ir-)rationale in 2010, too, and I went with a 14" notebook then (HP). Big mistake, the 14"/16:10 displays available in mainstream machines are stuck in the past and absolute crap vs. modern 13"/16:9 displays (except for Apple's?). As a hardcore terminal/vi person, I can assure you my 2016 XPS 13" works wonderfully for me. I had a chance to compare it next to a ThinkPad Carbon (I believe) in a retail shop that had both on display, and the ThinkPad's display, while in a lovely machine, doesn't hold a candle to that of the XPS. (However! I'd like Lenovo to keep producing notebooks with good Pro keyboards for my next purchase)

mellamoyo 10y ago

What do you find problematic about the 16:9 aspect ratio?

dijit 10y ago
Low verticality and too much width, which sucks when reading long snippets of code which are 84 columns wide.
- rpdillon 10y ago
  I wish more apps had an equivalent to Emacs' follow mode. It spreads narrow content across two (or more) columns. https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/emacs/Follow-Mode.html https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/emacs/Fo...
- nightski 10y ago
  I use a 21:9 screen and can definitely report that it does not suck. I can now stack 4 snippets of 84 column wide code across my screen instead of one.
  - bluedino 10y ago
    Going column to column doesn't disorient you?
    - nightski 10y ago
      Not at all. If it's combined with a tiling window manager it is bliss!
superplussed 10y ago
I'm assuming it's that the web is a vertical medium not a horizontal one.

vvanders 10y ago

Surface Book gives you the 3:2 screen, better GPU and a bit more battery. It's a bit heavier but I'm found the build quality to be outstanding.

bhauer 10y ago
I have a Surface Book and I will vouch for how awesome the 3:2 display is. I agree that 16:9 is a bit disappointing. It's the lingering dominion of HD televisions converging on computing. I am glad that some companies are re-asserting the unique needs of computing and adjusting monitors accordingly.
- r00fus 10y ago
  Macbooks (aside from the 11" Air) are all 16:10. I find it acceptable and for a strange reason feel cramped even on large 16:9 displays.
  - yborg 10y ago
    This hasn't been true since the Retina screens came out. One of the reasons I was sad to "upgrade" to the new MBP from my 2012 model was losing the 16:10 display.
    - dylanh 10y ago
      2015 macbook pro retina here, which is 1920x1200 (or 1440x900). 1920/1200 = 1440x900 = 16/10 = 1.6...
    - r00fus 10y ago
      Untrue - my MBPr has a bunch of display options, most of them are native 16:10. You may want to hold off on the upgrade for other reasons, but display ratio shouldn't be one of them.

zzalpha 10y ago

You'd be surprised how quickly you get used to it. It's definitely a compromise, but you're trading vertical resolution for stability and compactness. Ever try using a 3:2 laptop on an airplane these days? It's not fun...

tannhaeuser 10y ago

That was my (ir-)rationale in 2010, too, and I went with a 14" notebook then (HP). Big mistake, the 14"/16:10 displays available in mainstream machines are stuck in the past and absolute crap vs. modern 13"/16:9 displays (except for Apple's?). As a hardcore terminal/vi person, I can assure you my 2016 XPS 13" works wonderfully for me. I had a chance to compare it next to a ThinkPad Carbon (I believe) in a retail shop that had both on display, and the ThinkPad's display, while in a lovely machine, doesn't hold a candle to that of the XPS. (However! I'd like Lenovo to keep producing notebooks with good Pro keyboards for my next purchase)