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From: m...@houxm.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.cog-eng
Subject: Super 80x24 Display Screen Design
Message-ID: <514@houxm.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 20-Aug-83 16:48:35 EDT
Article-I.D.: houxm.514
Posted: Sat Aug 20 16:48:35 1983
Date-Received: Sun, 21-Aug-83 03:06:50 EDT
Organization: Bell Labs, Holmdel NJ
Lines: 44
I have been using a DEC Rainbow 100 daily since December, and I woulld like
to share my impressions of the display unit - certainly the very best ever
80x24 monitor. In priority order:
A) It is very small. The screen is 11" diagonal, the same as the HP 2621
or Concept 100, but the case around it is tiny. It easily sits back in the
rear corner of my desk, allowing plenty of room in front for papers and the
keyboard. This also places it at the perfect distance for viewing comfort
(I measure 38" eye to screen, usually)(the unit itself is 14" deep). Hint:
if you use a monster, such as the Blit or HP, place a desk side-unit across
the back of your desk to extend its depth to allow the display to be back
further. Sitting close to the screen is a sure headache producer, and
increases your exposure to all the good things emitted.
B) It is crystal clear. No wavers, no fuzzies - perfectly formed letters
with all the little serifs that make things easy to read. Edge-to-edge
everything is perfect - an engineering tour de force. Up to now, the HP
terminals had the clearest letters - move over HP, DEC is much better.
C) It is absolutely, positively non-glare. The screen has a smooth plastic
coating of some sort that reduces glare to the vanishing point. Even at
its default tilted position (that angle carefully calculated by "human
engineers" to reflect the ceiling lights into your eyes; the angle most
screens are fixed at) the DEC reflects almost nothing. But the unit easily
tilts to vertical, or even over-vertical to eliminate even that. I usually
adjust screens (my glarey Concept) so that they reflect my shirt when I am
sitting in my usual sloutch. This is almost always with the screen mostly
vertical. The non-glare is important for another reason: contrast. The
"black" background is the color of the screen itself when the unit is off.
On the Rainbow, that is a smooth jet BLACK! Not the grainy gray of the HP,
or the light tan of the Concept. This means that the intensity can be set
way down even in a brightly lit room. Less intensity, less radiation, less
eyestrain. Super. [ Oh, the color. It's multi-phospher white. ]
D) It is attractive and sturdy. Who wants something ugly on their desk?
Now for some negatives (all much overbalanced by the positives):
1) The cord is too short. You can't put it where you really want it since
there is only a dinky 4' cord to the system unit (a stiff, multi-wire,
shielded thing with special plugs nobody makes extensions for).
2) The plastic coating attracts and shows fingerprints. I swear, it pulls
them from across the room - and when they are there, you see them clearly
- and they don't come off easily. DEC sells a tiny little bottle of
cleaner (in a perfume sampler sprayer) for $15 that almost works well.
No telling what's in it - the label is covered with warnings and first
aid instructions, and nothing else. I haven't tried Windex.
3) It doesn't have a 25th line.
Mel Haas , houxm!mel
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houxm!ihnp4!cbosgd!mark
From: m...@cbosgd.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.cog-eng
Subject: Re: Super 80x24 Display Screen Design
Message-ID: <210@cbosgd.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 22-Aug-83 01:09:37 EDT
Article-I.D.: cbosgd.210
Posted: Mon Aug 22 01:09:37 1983
Date-Received: Mon, 22-Aug-83 10:18:37 EDT
References: <514@houxm.UUCP>
Organization: Bell Labs, Columbus
Lines: 15
houxm!mel says:
This also places it at the perfect distance for viewing comfort (I
measure 38" eye to screen, usually)(the unit itself is 14" deep).
Hint: if you use a monster, such as the Blit or HP, place a desk
side-unit across the back of your desk to extend its depth to allow
the display to be back further.
While reading this on my blit, I found my eyes about 13 inches from the
screen. I tried moving back to 38 inches, and found I couldn't even read the
screen from that distance. (Well, it is late at night, and I'm slightly
bleary eyed.) In any case, I don't believe that the characters on the Blit
are large enough or well formed enough to be reading from the distances Mel
is recommending. I also don't see why having to use a telescope cuts down
on headaches. (I'm not saying it doesn't, but I'd sure like to know why.)
Mark Horton