BP:

that's the weird thing about 19" LCDs - i've seen and i've got a 17" LCD with the same 1280x1024 resolution - so the only thing you're getting is an enlarged view of the 1280x1024 display.

on the columns view, i'm assuming by horizontal scan, you mean horizontal scroll, so yes, you will see more on the 1280x1024 resolution - that is, only assuming what your current monitor is running....

if you want to see the difference between resolutions, you can see for yourself with your current CRT.... i'm assuming you've got a 17" CRT at the present time - just go into your display properties and switch between resolutions with a standard web page or excel spreadsheet on your display - you'll see that you can see more with the higher resolutions...

of course, if you're running your CRT at 1280x1024, you won't see any improvement.....