Q&A with the developer of BetterDummy: from macOS secrets to his motivations

Re:Q&A with the developer of BetterDummy: from macOS secrets... by 4ad on Tuesday December 07, 2021 @03:43AM (#29470303)

Sorry, but those are not hiDPI. For hiDPI, you need at least 5k at 27 inch. There was a single (!!) LG display (27MD5KL) that met that criteria, but it was discontinued.

The only external hiDPI displays that exist are the Apple Pro XDR (only works on macOS), and the Dell UP3218K (doesn't work on macOS).

Of course the iMac is hiDPI, but it's not an external display.

It's bewildering how manufacturers keep pushing for this low resolution 4k crap 10 years (!!!!) after hiDPI displays first appeared in laptops.

Reference: https://geizhals.eu/?cat=monlcd19wide&xf=12018_200

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Q&A with the developer of BetterDummy: from macOS secrets... by radley on Tuesday December 07, 2021 @04:01AM (#29470396)

> There was a single (!!) LG display (27MD5KL) that met that criteria, but it was discontinued.

It was updated in 2019 as the 27MD5KL-B, specifically designed for Macs:

https://www.lg.com/us/monitors/lg-27md5kl-b-5k-uhd-led-monit...

I saw it listed on apple.com two months ago, but it was a month+ back-ordered. I ended up buying one via eBay (for my Mac Mini M1).

EDIT: it's still available on apple.com: https://www.apple.com/shop/product/HMUB2LL/A/lg-ultrafine-5k...

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Q&A with the developer of BetterDummy: from macOS secrets... by 4ad on Tuesday December 07, 2021 @04:03AM (#29470407)

Sadly it's out of production, everything you can find (if you can find it) is new-old stock.

And also unfortunately, the build quality is very, very bad.

But yes, better get that one while you still can! But be warned, my friend recently got one, and had to go through about 10 retailers until he found one that could actually sell him one. Many retailers put these on their websites in the hope that LG will be able to deliver stock, but LG can't deliver stock.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Q&A with the developer of BetterDummy: from macOS secrets... by radley on Tuesday December 07, 2021 @04:13AM (#29470473)

Uhm well, I upgraded from a Cinema Display. Granted the LG has a plastic frame, but I've paid for 3 replacement glass screens for my Cinema Displays because they chip so easily.

Color-wise, the LG is fantastic - and I was very skeptical about getting it. The old one wasn't very good when I compared it side by side with an iMac Pro (Apple Store, Union Street, SF). I'm not sure if they changed the screen quality, but it seems on par, if not better than my old Cinema Display.

EDIT: yeah, my first purchase was via Amazon as "Used - Like New", which turned out to be a 2 year old model that couldn't talk to the Mac. I found a new one at a great price via eBay which works great, but the manual was in Cyrillic...

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Q&A with the developer of BetterDummy: from macOS secrets... by tonyedgecombe on Tuesday December 07, 2021 @06:14AM (#29471250)

>And also unfortunately, the build quality is very, very bad.

I think the early models had some problems. I've got the later version and it is rock solid.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Q&A with the developer of BetterDummy: from macOS secrets... by pedrocr on Tuesday December 07, 2021 @04:12AM (#29470469)

We need better definitions then. Apple uses 1440p/1600p on laptop screens. At normal viewing distances using that on a 14" laptop and 4K on a 27 inch external screen works perfectly with the same scaling. I know because that's what I use with just font scaling that's the same across screens. With my work 14" 1080p Windows laptop 2x scaling is needed on the external screen. If 4K 27" is not HiDPI what do we call 1080p in that size which is still the normal resolution for those screens?

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Q&A with the developer of BetterDummy: from macOS secrets... by 4ad on Tuesday December 07, 2021 @04:19AM (#29470506)

> We need better definitions then.

We have a definition, it's ppi, and you need at least 220ppi.

> Apple uses 1440p/1600p on laptop screens.

No, it doesn't.

The current 14'' screen is 3024x1964 and the current 16 inch is 3456x2234 (both 254ppi).

The previous generation used about 220ppi displays.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Q&A with the developer of BetterDummy: from macOS secrets... by pedrocr on Tuesday December 07, 2021 @04:27AM (#29470558)

The current 13.3" screens are 1600p, the original Retina displays were also 1800p on 15". Only the last generation is a little higher and still not 4K like in PCs. Apple itself has always branded "Retina" based on angular resolution and not surface density, so viewing distance makes a huge difference.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Q&A with the developer of BetterDummy: from macOS secrets... by 4ad on Tuesday December 07, 2021 @04:32AM (#29470581)

No, their 13'' screens have been 2560x1600 (226ppi) since 2012. You are confused because the nomenclature like 1080p refers to vertical resolution while 4k refers to horizontal resolution.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Q&A with the developer of BetterDummy: from macOS secrets... by pedrocr on Tuesday December 07, 2021 @04:41AM (#29470639)

No to what? I know what 1080p/1600p/1800p is. Here's a direct quote from the Macbook Air tech specs:

Retina display: 13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology; 2560-by-1600 native resolution

If 1600p on 13" is not Retina you need to argue this with Apple instead.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Q&A with the developer of BetterDummy: from macOS secrets... by 4ad on Tuesday December 07, 2021 @04:42AM (#29470644)

> If 1600p on 13" is not Retina you need to argue this with Apple instead.

It's 226ppi display. Why would it not be a retina display?

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Q&A with the developer of BetterDummy: from macOS secrets... by detaro on Tuesday December 07, 2021 @04:44AM (#29470658)

1280x720: 720p

1920x1080: 1080p

2560x1440: 1440p

2560x1600: ...

EDIT: if you're going to edit your comment once called out on talking nonsense, at least have the decency to note it.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Q&A with the developer of BetterDummy: from macOS secrets... by radley on Tuesday December 07, 2021 @04:15AM (#29470484)

4K 24" will be HiDPI because it's 2x 1080p.

5k 27" is HiDPI, because it 2x the old 1440 screens.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Q&A with the developer of BetterDummy: from macOS secrets... by pedrocr on Tuesday December 07, 2021 @04:20AM (#29470514)

4K 27" is also 2x1080p. 1080p panels come in all sizes, including 27". And Apple uses 1600p on their laptops, when most laptops these days are 1080p. I guess Apple laptops are also not HiDPI as 1600p is not 2x1080p. Angular resolutions matter much more than surface DPI. You don't use a 27" screen at the same distance as a 24" one the same way you don't use a 14" laptop screen the same distance as your phone.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Q&A with the developer of BetterDummy: from macOS secrets... by 4ad on Tuesday December 07, 2021 @04:22AM (#29470535)

Yes, angular resolution is all that matters, which is why their small displays are now 254ppi, while the iMac and the Pro XDR is 218ppi.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Q&A with the developer of BetterDummy: from macOS secrets... by pedrocr on Tuesday December 07, 2021 @04:33AM (#29470593)

Don't take it from me, you can read Steve Jobs himself on the introduction of the Retina term:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retina_display#Rationale

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Q&A with the developer of BetterDummy: from macOS secrets... by 4ad on Tuesday December 07, 2021 @04:41AM (#29470637)

Do you really believe that people use these 4k@27'' displays at a different distance than mac users use their 27 inch iMac?

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Q&A with the developer of BetterDummy: from macOS secrets... by pedrocr on Tuesday December 07, 2021 @04:50AM (#29470704)

I use a 4K 27" screen at a distance where it uses the same scaling as a 1440p 14" laptop. Looks great to me, but if your vision is better or you're using it closer then it may not be enough. Other people use 4K TVs or 65" screens to be able to set them farther and keep their vision more rested for the same angular resolution. Resolution requirements depend massively on how you setup your workspace and the quality of your vision. There are plenty of people that use software scaling for 1080p 14" laptop screens as they consider normal sizes too small for example. The range of configurations is very high and you're on one extreme of that range. There's nothing wrong with that but that's probably why you're frustrated with the lack of options on the market. For most people even 4K 27" is already overkill and 1080p external screens sell well instead.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Q&A with the developer of BetterDummy: from macOS secrets... by 4ad on Tuesday December 07, 2021 @04:51AM (#29470718)

Please answer the question I posted. "Do you really believe that people use these 4k@27'' displays at a different distance than mac users use their 27 inch iMac?"

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Q&A with the developer of BetterDummy: from macOS secrets... by pedrocr on Tuesday December 07, 2021 @05:11AM (#29470824)

Yes. I do believe an external 4k 27" on a laptop is used differently than a single screen on an iMac. I also believe people use iMacs in ways that are different than what you use, which was the whole point of my answer. People use screens in all sorts of different ways. Most of them have resolution requirements much below yours, which is why the market apparently doesn't cater for your needs.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Q&A with the developer of BetterDummy: from macOS secrets... by aulin on Tuesday December 07, 2021 @06:09AM (#29471224)

For most people not using macos 4k is overkill and 1080p can be enough not by itself but because the other two major OS (windows and linux) have antialiased text with subpixel hinting. I.e. they can exploit the pixel internal structure to display sharp text even on low resolution monitors. Apple deliberately decided to ditch their own implementation as you don't need it for retina displays and they only sell and care about retina displays.

[ Parent | on HN ]