That was when nobody would have dreamed of writing software that required anything more than standard VGA resolution 640 pixels across by 480 lines deep. With a large monitor running at a higher resolution, such as 1,024 pixels by 768 lines, you could get many standard-size windows on the screen at once. Now, however, the situation is complicated by the fact that many programs use windows designed to look best at resolutions higher than VGA's standard. Many Web pages are created with a resolution of 800 by 600 in mind, for example. Likewise, anyone using a modern word processor for anything more than simple notes and letters probably needs to enlarge the main window to a size that exceeds VGA's 640 by 480.
Larger monitors support higher resolutions, all other things being equal.
Without overlapping, a screen at that resolution can display four windows of normal 640 by 480 size. And, of course, the increasingly common 800 by 600 windows will fit easily with minimal overlapping. Larger monitors are easier on your eyes, too. Many computer users spend more time staring at their computer monitors than they do in front of TV screens and they do this while reading the contents of the monitor's display, an activity that can produce a lot more eyestrain in an hour than watching TV all day can do. Take a look at the newest big-screen monitors.