New monitor

[Matt Graham]

From: John <jharitos at yahoo.com>
> Anyhow, I'm looking to get a new monitor for 11.10 KDE using a
> GEForce 7300 LE on a desktop. The current monitor is a 4:3 15in
> but I do like 4:3 aspect ratio.

I don't think there will be a big selection of stuff in 4:3 these days. 
Everything is now 16:9 because that's what widescreen movies come in, and
people love movies.

> Is a touch screen monitor a good choice?

http://catb.org/jargon/html/G/gorilla-arm.html provides some context for why a
vertically mounted touchscreen may not be a great idea.

> Will it work with Ubuntu? Waste of time?

The vast majority of monitors Just Work.  If your current monitor is failing
miserably, it's time for a new one.

> I don't do anything but surf the net and use OpenOffice read
> email etc no gaming. I have a normal size desk. Is 24 inches
> 16:9 too big? Too small? Any recommendations on resolution?

The bigger they are, the more they cost.  I'd look at things in the $250-$300
range, since there's a lot of decent stuff at that price, and get something
that had good brightness, good contrast, and as many pixels as possible.

> Will I need a new video card?

Maybe.  If your video card has DVI-out, you'll be OK unless you get something
with a really high resolution ( > 2048 pixels wide, or so) when you'll need
DVI's big brother.  If your video card doesn't have DVI-out, you'll probably
have a lousy picture until you get a video card with DVI-out.  My nVidia card
refused to display anything on DVI until I cold-booted the machine with the
monitor plugged into the DVI port, but that's a one-time thing.

-- 
Matt G / Dances With Crows
The Crow202 Blog:  http://crow202.org/wordpress/
There is no Darkness in Eternity/But only Light too dim for us to see