Wide screen monitors are a scam

And here's why: they're not as big. LCD manufacturers love to say all sorts of things like "wider is better" and "you can see more" but they're lying through their teeth. Don't believe me? Fine lets do some math.

19" 4:3 ratio screen = 1280x1024 = 1,310720 total pixels
19" wide screen = 1440x900 = 1,296,000 total pixels

1,310,720
- 1,296,000
---------
= 14,720 fewer pixels in the wide screen

I don't care what configuration the pixels are in, if I'm getting less pixels it means I'm seeing less information.

The reason they can get away with it is that they always measure screens from corner to corner diagonally. It's the same dirty trick they've been using for years. They love it because it means they can sell more screens from the same piece of silicon. The customers think they're getting a bigger screen and they sell more monitors. It's a "win - win" situation where the customer loses and they win twice.

Agreed, wide screens are great for watching movies. But how often do I actually watch a movie on my computer and do I really need to optimize my entire display for that one activity? I watch far more movies on my entertainment center so why don't I just get a wide screen projector for that?