<< Wouldn't it be better if pixels were SQUARE rather than rectangular anyway? >>
They are square on a 4:3 screen running a 4:3 resolution!
<< Perhaps its because my monitor is a bit "WIDE". >>
Wider? That would be going in the other direction. A 5:4 screen is taller than a 4:3 screen.
<< I actually just tried 1280x1024 and compared it to 1280x960 and 1280x960 looks HORRIBLY deformed. Circles become ovals and Squares become Rectangles.
1280x1024 is definitally the better resolution on my monitors. (NEC Multisync 70's) >>
You've got to have that the wrong way. Have you actually measured what you're observing - have you taken a ruler to your monitor to verify what you see?
<< I use 1280x1024@75hz and it looks fine on my viewsonic A90f and yes I tired the 1280x960 or whatever and they both look the same. I just have more space with 1280x1024. >>
Think about it for a minute - they can't be the same. With 1280x1024 you're squeezing more scan lines into the same physical area. Each horizontal line, then, has to be smaller vertically, or they won't all fit. That compresses the image vertically.
Try this: draw a perfect square in an image editor - Microsoft Paint will work. Then measure each side with a ruler, make marks on a piece of paper, whatever. See if the sides of the square are equal in 1280x1024.