I am a 'monitor-and-resolution' freak. I tried different resolutions for my 17 inches monitor and came to the conclusion that even though it can support higher resolutions, I was not satisfied with the clarity, beyond the resoution '1024 x 768', which is also the maximum (clear) resolution for a 15 inches monitor.
If you are going to get a monitor for development, I would suggest a bigger monitor than a 17'' monitor. Perhaps a 21'' monitor.
I had once posted a question here regarding monitor sizes, resolutions and programmer's preference, here is the link:
Click here Hope that helps,
Srikanth
[ January 04, 2007: Message edited by: Srikanth Raghavan ]