Q on web page scalability

Hi kaat, Welcome to TWF

1/ Yes

2/ If you want a fixed width site, set to about 760 (allow for browsers default margins etc). Most sites these days aren't fixed but there is nothing written in stone.

IMO in all depends on the sites topic, some things just can't be made to handle width of 100%, the layout falls apart.

Thanks for the welcome and the tips!

Your advice is actually encouraging ... I'm sort of wondering if I should delve into a whole series of complex machinations to get my 'look' right for all visitors, and perhaps on balance that's not a wise thing to do. Because of course I also want some ease of maintenance

But I'm still open to other thoughts & tips ...

The goal is for it to work right, and look decent, not v.v. Minor changes in the look won't affect branding, and people care more for the usefulness of the site than purely visual features (unless those features improve function or comprehension).

So aiming for the content to be readable, and for the functions of the site to work in as many circumstances as possible should be the primary goal. Maintenance is a big deal -- nothing will kill a site faster than being difficult to maintain. So consider that a primary goal.

I personally think that any given website should fit 800x600 easily. If it can't, you will likely have issues with readability, other browser agents (non-web), et cetera. I have my monitor set to 1280xwhatever and there is no way I need to view a website at that size. I end up with text that crosses the width of my monitor! My browser is set usually to 800x900, or smaller, so I can view pages, talk with friends and clients through instant messaging, work on code and preview it without flipping back and forth between windows and views, et cetera.

You should check out some of the articles at A List Apart. I think they've covered this in the past but I can't remember for sure. The new trend, as I mentioned in another thread, is with CSS layouts. What some of them have been doing is using a fixed width design at around 760 pixels but still allowing the text and other elements to expand. It's an interesting change from the old 100% tabled layouts. They also tend to fill in the outer areas with a pattern or colour so it doesn't look empty at higher resolutions.

I think we will always need to make allowances for 800 x 600 - not only that, but also other devices that may be trying to access the site. There will always be people with weaker eyesight who need to have things bigger.

Excellent points, thank you. For some reason, I always want my browser to be full-screen, I don't know why. It doesn't feel right otherwise. And yes, some sites look 'lost' or out of wack on my high res screen. Like you say, better that than crappy at 800x600.

Wow this is great .. responses quicker than I can type! Thanks Megan. A good reminder; I need to brush up on CSS.

Btw, your website is beautiful! I wanted to just browse for it's own sake, it's that nice