Old computers (Spectrum, MSX) had 40x25 = 1000 character screens, because memory was scarce, and 1000 is a nice, round number.
From there, they upgraded to 80x25 (doubling the resolution!). Two things happened to make it possible: 1) memory got a bit bigger 2) computers started shipping with dedicated higher-quality monitors (e.g. MSX-2) instead of being hooked up to TVs, so it was actually possible to read 80 characters on a line, even though you had to squint a little.
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Old computers (Spectrum, MSX) had 40x25 = 1000 character screens, because memory was scarce, and 1000 is a nice, round number.
From there, they upgraded to 80x25 (doubling the resolution!). Two things happened to make it possible: 1) memory got a bit bigger 2) computers started shipping with dedicated higher-quality monitors (e.g. MSX-2) instead of being hooked up to TVs, so it was actually possible to read 80 characters on a line, even though you had to squint a little.