Panning the screen of your 12" monitor
Panning is the ability to set your desktop bigger than your actually monitor.
(e.g. PB 12" is 1024x768, but you set the desktop to say, 1680x1050).
You can only see 1024 at a time, but with the mouse, you slide the view to different parts of the 1680 desktop.
Prior to buying an Apple, I owned at small VIAO with a 1024x480 screen (very small). It supported panning though, so I could work on a desktop which was 1024x768 even though the screen would only view 1024x480 at a time. I was a reasonable compromise.
I'm pretty sure you could implement this in software on the PB12, but I think it might be too slow. It's probably something you'd have to teach the video driver to do (don't know if there's programmable firmware). The memory in the video hardware of the PB is certainly capable of handling a much bigger desktop (monitor size).
So this post is one of two things:
1. A question -- does anyone know of a way to get panning capability on PB12?
2. A suggestion to Apple -- Support panning on your laptops (especially the small ones). I travel every day, so the bigger laptops just don't work for me. However, the 12" screen is very limiting as far as productivity goes. Panning might make a difference. (hint, hint... I'd be inclined to buy $$ the x86 Apple laptop if it was small and supported panning.
-Craig
PowerBook G4 Mac OS X (10.3.9)
(e.g. PB 12" is 1024x768, but you set the desktop to say, 1680x1050).
You can only see 1024 at a time, but with the mouse, you slide the view to different parts of the 1680 desktop.
Prior to buying an Apple, I owned at small VIAO with a 1024x480 screen (very small). It supported panning though, so I could work on a desktop which was 1024x768 even though the screen would only view 1024x480 at a time. I was a reasonable compromise.
I'm pretty sure you could implement this in software on the PB12, but I think it might be too slow. It's probably something you'd have to teach the video driver to do (don't know if there's programmable firmware). The memory in the video hardware of the PB is certainly capable of handling a much bigger desktop (monitor size).
So this post is one of two things:
1. A question -- does anyone know of a way to get panning capability on PB12?
2. A suggestion to Apple -- Support panning on your laptops (especially the small ones). I travel every day, so the bigger laptops just don't work for me. However, the 12" screen is very limiting as far as productivity goes. Panning might make a difference. (hint, hint... I'd be inclined to buy $$ the x86 Apple laptop if it was small and supported panning.
-Craig
PowerBook G4 Mac OS X (10.3.9)
