Image files on a computer screen are measured in pixels. There are 72 pixels per inch on a screen. You can't get any smaller than a pixel on a computer screen. A photographic print can have resolution at a granular or even a molecular level. A newspaper has a 300 "dpi" (dot per inch) resolution. The reason a computer screen can look so good is that it's in color, and lit from behind. An image that is "1024 x 768" has 1024 pixels across and 768 pixels up and down. This is at 72 pixels per inch.
The way you interact with Archives BBS can be greatly improved if you adjust your screen size properly. You see on a lot of sites: "Best viewed at 800x600." Well, on Archives BBS, it's best viewed at 1280 x 1024, or even 1600 x 1280! To adjust your screen size, right-click on your desktop, the select "properties" then "settings" then "screen resolution". I recommend this be set at AT LEAST 1024 x 768 and preferably 1280 x 1024 with 16 or 24 bit color.
A bit of history: When Windows 3.1 and Win 95 came out, the default screen size was 640 x 480. I remember in the 1995 time frame you could buy a video card with 2 meg of RAM for quite a bit more than a standard video card. Having that extra RAM allowed you to set your screen size at 1024 x 768 with 16 bit color. I started producing the bb00*.* files in 1024 x 768 in about 1995. At the time that was quite large. Well, that was over 7 years ago.
Around February, 2002, I started producing the bb00*.* files in 1280 x 960 format. This gives a much more satisfying image. For you to see these images in their full glory, set your screen to 1280 x 1024 or to 1600 x 1280 (my current screen setting).
Exotic hardware is NOT required to achieve these settings - most "regular" PC's are shipped now with a video card with plenty of memory for these settings. If you want to know how big a file is, in Internet Explorer right-click the file and select "Properties". If your computer is more than 3 years old, you might want to think about an upgrade. Since about 2004, most screens can easily accomodate the large size nicely.
I think you'll find that the extra real estate on your screen really improves your PC experience. Please note, that if you are in your 40's or over - it really helps to have reading glasses, but maybe you already know this.
Take a look at the examples on this page and see how they sit on your screen.
Felix
| Here is a small image of Julia that is 397 x 368 pixels |  |
| I'm not knocking this fantastic image of Diana, but it's the old 1024 x 768 pixel format, circa 1996. |  |
Kobe Lee in Witness Protection - a full-sized 1280 x 960 image. |
 |
This Jessica pix shows all on one 1280 x 960 file the different file size formats. Let's go with the big one! |
 |
