I've just taken a big risk and installed the Screen Spanning Doctor (http://www.rutemoeller.com/mp/ibook/ibook_e.html) on my new 14" iBook (1.42GHz model). The patch modifies something in PRAM aparrently (don't really understand that part) that unlocks high resolutions on the external VGA screen. It can't increase the resolution of the LCD as aparrently this is restricted to 1024x768 by the physical number of pixels in the screen.
Anyway, the patch worked a treat and let me use resolutions way above 1024x768 with an external LCD plugged in.
Mark
Michiel
09-06-2005, 02:16 AM
What is the maximum resolution on the external vga ?
And yes, the 14" iBook, 12" iBook and 12" Powerbook all have a maximum resolution of 1024*768. Wich is the reason why I would never buy a 14" iBook. But I guess its down to personal preference!
Good luck with the screen spanner! I've heared alot about it and have yet to read about any hardware problems that are caused by this patch. The only thing you may notice is that it will be a bit slower when running bouth screens.
Michiel
markashley
09-06-2005, 03:26 AM
Well the resolutions made available were ridiculously high (over 2000 wide some of them) but they wouldn't display on the cheap monitor I've got downstairs. I got it to display 1280*1024. I'm going to try it on my 19" TFT upstairs tonight and I'll post again with results.
The resolution was the only thing that made me think twice about an iBook rather than a PowerBook. After using my Toshiba Windows laptop for ages, I was used to a high resolution. But I just couldn't justify the expense of a PowerBook just to get higher resolutions. Anyway, with MacOS' more simple interface, I've found that 1024*768 is fine for me.
The other great thing is that the Screen Spanning Doctor enables rotation on the external screen. I use Reason to make music, and its vertical rack-like interface fits much better when the rectangular screen is rotated 90 degrees. I think it's time to fit a pivoting screen to the wall.... :D
Mark
voldenuit
09-06-2005, 08:18 AM
The only risk of these OpenFirmware mods is that is will screw up real bad iBooks with slightly too old GPUs lacking support for the feature.
If you carefully read the list of supported hardware, the risk is next to nothing, in spite of the alarming text written by the author (who, shortly before writing that note, must have read of someone taking a microwave-oven manufacturer to court because the manual didn't state exactly how bad an idea it is to dry your freshly bathed hamster in there).
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