Stop romanticising the past. :) You are certainly having more characters vertically on screen on current environments plus having more horizontally.
Wider (and, crucially: shorter) displays were foisted on us by the majority of computer users being heavy media consumers the desire to consolidate supply chains.
The efficacy of a 16:10 (or 5:2) screen is undeniable.
I’ve been looking for a good 16:10 screen to replace my aging Dell U2412M’s for over 5 years at this point.
I have a new MacBook coming soon, so 16:10 dreams come true there.