Comments on: Fluid, Fixed, and 1024 Resolutions http://www.wolf-howl.com/random-thoughts/fluid-fixed-and-1024-resolutions/ Michael Gray rants on SEO the internet and media Sun, 25 Oct 2009 18:58:50 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Amy Cham http://www.wolf-howl.com/random-thoughts/fluid-fixed-and-1024-resolutions/comment-page-1/#comment-54568 Amy Cham Sun, 11 Mar 2007 23:07:32 +0000 http://www.wolf-howl.com/random-thoughts/fluid-fixed-and-1024-resolutions/#comment-54568 It depends...ideally, fluid. I optimize the design for 1024, make sure it is acceptable at 800, and set max-width to 1200, working on the assumption that those who use such a high resolution are more likely to be tech-savvy, and therefore running Firefox or IE7 (which finally supports max-width!). Why? Maximum flexibility. One client, for example, has heavy international traffic with about 15% still using 800x600 settings. Also, a fluid width gives the user more control over how to use their screen real estate. Finally, mobile browsers are extremely incosistent in their implementation of CSS media types, so if there is any prospect of needing to go mobile, it's easier to adjust. If It depends…ideally, fluid. I optimize the design for 1024, make sure it is acceptable at 800, and set max-width to 1200, working on the assumption that those who use such a high resolution are more likely to be tech-savvy, and therefore running Firefox or IE7 (which finally supports max-width!).

Why? Maximum flexibility. One client, for example, has heavy international traffic with about 15% still using 800×600 settings. Also, a fluid width gives the user more control over how to use their screen real estate. Finally, mobile browsers are extremely incosistent in their implementation of CSS media types, so if there is any prospect of needing to go mobile, it’s easier to adjust.

If

]]> By: David http://www.wolf-howl.com/random-thoughts/fluid-fixed-and-1024-resolutions/comment-page-1/#comment-54531 David Wed, 07 Mar 2007 21:23:43 +0000 http://www.wolf-howl.com/random-thoughts/fluid-fixed-and-1024-resolutions/#comment-54531 My stats roughly tie in with Jestep's, at somewhere approaching 15% of visitors still being on 800px. Personally, I don't want to make life difficult for about 1 in 7 of my visitors. As a web user, I hate narrow, fixed width layouts that look like a narrow ribbon down the left or centre of my monitor, so it's got to be a hybrid layout - either using min and max width or javascript. If more people understood that web pages are to be viewed by users on *their* terms, (what about your fixed width layout if a user is visually impaired and needs to increase the text size?) the web would work better. Or should we all just publish PDFs? My stats roughly tie in with Jestep’s, at somewhere approaching 15% of visitors still being on 800px. Personally, I don’t want to make life difficult for about 1 in 7 of my visitors.

As a web user, I hate narrow, fixed width layouts that look like a narrow ribbon down the left or centre of my monitor, so it’s got to be a hybrid layout – either using min and max width or javascript.

If more people understood that web pages are to be viewed by users on *their* terms, (what about your fixed width layout if a user is visually impaired and needs to increase the text size?) the web would work better. Or should we all just publish PDFs?

]]> By: AhmedF http://www.wolf-howl.com/random-thoughts/fluid-fixed-and-1024-resolutions/comment-page-1/#comment-54526 AhmedF Wed, 07 Mar 2007 15:53:39 +0000 http://www.wolf-howl.com/random-thoughts/fluid-fixed-and-1024-resolutions/#comment-54526 Reading a liquid design at 1600+ res is horrible. We do a hybrid - a liquid design that stretches for 800 to 1280 resolutions. Much better :) Reading a liquid design at 1600+ res is horrible. We do a hybrid – a liquid design that stretches for 800 to 1280 resolutions. Much better :)

]]> By: Cal http://www.wolf-howl.com/random-thoughts/fluid-fixed-and-1024-resolutions/comment-page-1/#comment-54522 Cal Wed, 07 Mar 2007 13:50:10 +0000 http://www.wolf-howl.com/random-thoughts/fluid-fixed-and-1024-resolutions/#comment-54522 fixed on 1024 My posts are still readable on 800x600 But seriously who still uses that resolution? fixed on 1024

My posts are still readable on 800×600

But seriously who still uses that resolution?

]]> By: Graydon http://www.wolf-howl.com/random-thoughts/fluid-fixed-and-1024-resolutions/comment-page-1/#comment-54515 Graydon Wed, 07 Mar 2007 04:49:35 +0000 http://www.wolf-howl.com/random-thoughts/fluid-fixed-and-1024-resolutions/#comment-54515 Technically I'm running fluid, but the layout and graphics is designed to fit only at a minimum of 1024. Why? Based upon data spat out from the visitor info section of various tools... I've never had a visitor with a monitor size less than 1024. But, I let it stay fluid so that visitors with larger real estate don't get forced looking at this narrow box in the middle that can get hard to read. Technically I’m running fluid, but the layout and graphics is designed to fit only at a minimum of 1024.

Why?

Based upon data spat out from the visitor info section of various tools… I’ve never had a visitor with a monitor size less than 1024.

But, I let it stay fluid so that visitors with larger real estate don’t get forced looking at this narrow box in the middle that can get hard to read.

]]> By: Stuart http://www.wolf-howl.com/random-thoughts/fluid-fixed-and-1024-resolutions/comment-page-1/#comment-54513 Stuart Wed, 07 Mar 2007 01:46:47 +0000 http://www.wolf-howl.com/random-thoughts/fluid-fixed-and-1024-resolutions/#comment-54513 I love comments by people like Nick Wilson because they can be lumped into just one category - clueless. There are good reasons for using fluid designs and there are good reasons for using fixed designs and to claim one is better than the other is simply to show how inflexible you really are. I love comments by people like Nick Wilson because they can be lumped into just one category – clueless.

There are good reasons for using fluid designs and there are good reasons for using fixed designs and to claim one is better than the other is simply to show how inflexible you really are.

]]> By: rcjordan http://www.wolf-howl.com/random-thoughts/fluid-fixed-and-1024-resolutions/comment-page-1/#comment-54510 rcjordan Tue, 06 Mar 2007 20:09:51 +0000 http://www.wolf-howl.com/random-thoughts/fluid-fixed-and-1024-resolutions/#comment-54510 No real answer, yet. Everything's a patch-over at best. Been this way forever. Here's my favorite pipe-wrench-in-the-works: are you scaling your graphics and pix as well? (it can be done) No? Well, your 125px160p tile is only slightly bigger than a flyspeck on hi-res monitors. http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&c2coff=1&q=%22resolution+creep%22+rcjordan No real answer, yet. Everything’s a patch-over at best. Been this way forever. Here’s my favorite pipe-wrench-in-the-works: are you scaling your graphics and pix as well? (it can be done) No? Well, your 125px160p tile is only slightly bigger than a flyspeck on hi-res monitors.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&c2coff=1&q=%22resolution+creep%22+rcjordan

]]> By: Matt http://www.wolf-howl.com/random-thoughts/fluid-fixed-and-1024-resolutions/comment-page-1/#comment-54508 Matt Tue, 06 Mar 2007 17:12:12 +0000 http://www.wolf-howl.com/random-thoughts/fluid-fixed-and-1024-resolutions/#comment-54508 I use the max-width property in css. So the design is fluid, up to 1280px. I find any test longer than that on my widescreen monitor makes it difficult to skim through. I use the max-width property in css. So the design is fluid, up to 1280px. I find any test longer than that on my widescreen monitor makes it difficult to skim through.

]]> By: markus941 http://www.wolf-howl.com/random-thoughts/fluid-fixed-and-1024-resolutions/comment-page-1/#comment-54507 markus941 Tue, 06 Mar 2007 16:08:49 +0000 http://www.wolf-howl.com/random-thoughts/fluid-fixed-and-1024-resolutions/#comment-54507 There's a pretty good A List Apart Article that discusses having <a href="http://www.alistapart.com/articles/switchymclayout/" rel="nofollow">multiple layouts via CSS</a>, but it's a lot of work and only worth if you have enough visitors to make it worth the hassle. I prefer fixed width because then it looks good in most situations and whitespace is the only thing that becomes variable. I like sites that place main content in the 800px range, then put ads (or other not-as-meaty content) outside so that they are seen by larger resolution screens - if the user has one). My blog uses floats to accomodate spreading out elements if your screen is large enough, which is an option as well. There’s a pretty good A List Apart Article that discusses having multiple layouts via CSS, but it’s a lot of work and only worth if you have enough visitors to make it worth the hassle.

I prefer fixed width because then it looks good in most situations and whitespace is the only thing that becomes variable.

I like sites that place main content in the 800px range, then put ads (or other not-as-meaty content) outside so that they are seen by larger resolution screens – if the user has one).

My blog uses floats to accomodate spreading out elements if your screen is large enough, which is an option as well.

]]> By: Jestep http://www.wolf-howl.com/random-thoughts/fluid-fixed-and-1024-resolutions/comment-page-1/#comment-54506 Jestep Tue, 06 Mar 2007 15:18:23 +0000 http://www.wolf-howl.com/random-thoughts/fluid-fixed-and-1024-resolutions/#comment-54506 I just took a look across all my sites for the past 100K visitors, and 13.24% are running 800x600. If it were down around 1%, I think I would change my fixed width sites to 1024, but there's definitely a long way to go in my book. I just took a look across all my sites for the past 100K visitors, and 13.24% are running 800×600.

If it were down around 1%, I think I would change my fixed width sites to 1024, but there’s definitely a long way to go in my book.

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