Ask the Web Team:
How to increase text size on your screen
 If
you find that small text on your computer strains your eyes,
help is at hand. The quickest fix is to press the control
button and use the mouse wheel, if you have one.
If you don’t have a mouse wheel, or for a more permanent
move to larger text, it is possible to change the display
size of text on your computer, via the Control Panel.
Open the Control Panel (this can be found by clicking the
Start button in the bottom-left corner of your screen, and
looking under Settings). Click on the Display icon, and go
to the Appearance tab. Under ‘Scheme’ you will see
a drop-down list of options. You will probably have this set
to the default Windows Standard, but in some versions of Windows
there are other options, including Windows Standard large
and extra large. It is worth just playing around with the
options — the preview pane will show you what they look
like. Once you are happy with your choice, click the Apply
button.
You may want to experiment with the screen area options
under the Settings tab — unless you have a flat panel
monitor, which are set to display one particular resolution.
Many monitors are set at 1024 x 768 pixels. If you reset it
to 800 x 600, the display will be larger. Bear in mind, though,
that if you make any changes here it will rearrange all the
icons on your desktop.
Some web pages can also be viewed with larger text. In Internet
Explorer, go to View, Text Size, and choose Larger or Largest.
Unfortunately this does not work on all websites, including
the SCI site, for technical reasons. Resizing works on many
pages of the BBC’s site (http://news.bbc.co.uk
) but not on their home page, and you’ll notice that
only the main body of the page changes, not the links to the
side.
Netscape users can go to View, Text Zoom. The options include
magnifying by 150%, 200% and 300% - and you can go even higher
if you wish. This uses a different method and should work
on all websites.
| Webwatch:
Dictionary.com |
 There
is no need to lug heavy dictionaries around — and
keep them up to date — when there is an online
equivalent, and http://dictionary.reference.com/
has become a favourite to many.
All you do is type the word you want into the search
box at the top and you get your definition. There
is also the option of quizzing a thesaurus. A query
on ‘reactionary’ brings up two definitions,
one for an adjective: ‘characterized by reaction,
especially opposition to progress or liberalism; extremely
conservative’, and one for a noun: ‘an opponent
of progress or liberalism; an extreme conservative’.
There is also a guide to pronunciation.
Bear in mind that this is an American dictionary,
so while there is definitely an entry for ‘color’,
keying in ‘colour’ will produce ‘Variant
of color: chiefly British.‘ And a further issue
is the number of pop-up banners generated.
An English option is to search AskOxford http://www.askoxford.com
- although the dictionary on offer is only the compact
version, not the full Oxford English Dictionary.
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