Raspberry Pi Forums

Hi, I'm looking for a desktop environment for my pi when running on a 20" 4:3 monitor at 320x240 resolution. LXDE doesn't really support such a low resolution and is unusable.
Are there any desktops with low res support that would look like windows 3.x or similar?

vol.2 wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 05, 2019 7:57 pm

Hi, I'm looking for a desktop environment for my pi when running on a 20" 4:3 monitor at 320x240 resolution. LXDE doesn't really support such a low resolution and is unusable.
Are there any desktops with low res support that would look like windows 3.x or similar?

The desktop environment does not constrain, scale or make applications work that were not coded to be used at low or other random resolutions. Many applications are hard coded to work at specific resolutions so at low res, you will get playing fields in games that are larger than the screen and/or menus that run off the screen and can't be accessed.

You can experiment with framebuffer settings in /boot/config.txt to see if you can find a setting that will scale the screen image down AND still be able to read text if possible.

In general low res screens are not usable for desktop applications and are more suited for a custom GUI.

vol.2 wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 05, 2019 7:57 pm

...when running on a 20" 4:3 monitor at 320x240 resolution.

Seriously? Those monitor specs can't possibly be correct. What kind of display is that?

It's going to be very hard to run a GUI at that resolution. Even if you could squeeze the desktop in, you'll find that lots of software won't fit.

HawaiianPi wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 06, 2019 12:53 am

vol.2 wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 05, 2019 7:57 pm

...when running on a 20" 4:3 monitor at 320x240 resolution.

Seriously? Those monitor specs can't possibly be correct. What kind of display is that?

It's going to be very hard to run a GUI at that resolution. Even if you could squeeze the desktop in, you'll find that lots of software won't fit.

He didn't say that was the native resolution, just that he wanted to run the monitor that way. I do share the concerns, though. I have a Samsung 204 20" monitor with the older standard of 4:3, but the native resolution for it is 1600x1200. So...yeah...pixels the size of pencil erasers...

HawaiianPi wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 06, 2019 12:53 am

vol.2 wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 05, 2019 7:57 pm

...when running on a 20" 4:3 monitor at 320x240 resolution.

Seriously? Those monitor specs can't possibly be correct. What kind of display is that?

It's going to be very hard to run a GUI at that resolution. Even if you could squeeze the desktop in, you'll find that lots of software won't fit.

"NTSC square pixel 240p 320×240 4:3 Comparable to "low resolution" output of many popular home computers and games consoles, including VGA "Mode X". "

It's an RGB monitor, 100% real. It functions as an NTSC monitor and as a CGA/EGA monitor with intensity signal inputs. I'm using the miniwi console font to get a good amount of text on the screen at the same time. It's great for mps-youtube as well. I just want a simple desktop ui that I can use as a file manager, but I guess it doesn't exist. I thought maybe someone would have something designed for a tiny screen that I can adapt for my own purposes.

W. H. Heydt wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 06, 2019 1:57 am

So...yeah...pixels the size of pencil erasers...

There not quite that big!

It's great for older games. Most systems up until PS2/Wii are 240x320. Hooking up to this kind of monitor (essentially an Arcade monitor) is the only way to play them in the proper environment without using an old TV and the OG hardware.

here's a couple images of the screen. it's from troubleshooting mps youtube, so they aren't the best shots, but you should be able to get the gist.

http://imgur.com/a/V3pVCLO