Web Site Sizing Preference ?

[SPeedY_B]

What do you prefer when visiting a web site?

Fixed Width
A site which is set to a certain size, for example 500 pixels wide, and does not change if the browser window is resized.

Dynamic Width
A site which fills the browser width, usually to a certain percentile, for example 90%, and will resize when the browser window is resized.

 

[bwakefield]

It all depends on the style of web site that I am creating, however I mostly use dynamic width pages.

Best Regards,
Ben

 

[X-Istence]

Dynamic Width. That way it looks good even when resized, or on smaller screens. Also, on bigger resolutions, the blank space left on the sides can be quite annoying and distracting when trying to read a webpage.

 

[Geffy]

I almost like fixed width because it reduces the number of eventualities with i have to design for.

My personal favourite is margin-ised width, so they dont bound to the sides of the browser window but still expand and contract with a resized window. Main problem with those though is the design portability.

 

[Admiral Michael]

It all depends on the style of web site that I am creating.

I agree, it all depends on the design.

 

[LeeJend]

I don't design the sites I use them.

Anyone who uses fixed width should be shot!

It assumes the size of monitor which hurts people with large (denied full benefit of the bigger image) or small (have to scroll the text side ways to read each sentence) monitors. Designers all have 19 inch monitors (or larger) but most users have 17 inch or smaller. The result is most users get really pissed at the business/designers who do fixed width and find other web pages to surf.

If you have no regard for your customer then go ahead and do fixed width. Just remember that it has to be designed for a 17 inch monitor (actually smaller on most laptops) with menus up the sides and room for some icons to show on the desktop. Otherwise people have to scroll horizontally, open and close windows to do other multi-tasking activities, and generally makes the surfing experience a pain in the butt.

 

[Geffy]

I use a 12" monitor at 1024x768 and I havent seen a fixed-width design that caused me to have to horizontal scroll. In fact just about all of them that I have seen usually have the width set to 768px which unless you have a load of useless **** down the side fits perfectly inside most browser windows on a fullscreen 800px width screen.

 

[jimi_81]

isnt 768px the printable area for an 8.5x11 printer?

 

[Geffy]

isnt 768px the printable area for an 8.5x11 printer?

it might well be, i just remember it because its also the width distance available between the window borders and scroll bar of most browsers

 

[Khayman]

dynamic!

I see so many sites which have massive blank parts down the side which often amount to nearly half the screen space. simple waste!

 

[X-Istence]

dynamic!

I see so many sites which have massive blank parts down the side which often amount to nearly half the screen space. simple waste!

Like these sites, way to much white on one, and way too much green on the other:


(Sorry Geffy and ElectronicPunk)

 

[j79zlr]

uke: X, Tools > Preferences > Advanced > Fonts > Interface Menus > Something Antialiased

 

[X-Istence]

uke: X, Tools > Preferences > Advanced > Fonts > Interface Menus > Something Antialiased

PC can't handle it, it's an old laptop. p3 700 Mhz, allready laggy as ****, opera is the fastest browser on it.

 

[kcnychief]

Dynamic Width, 100%

 

[Dublex]

I would always go for dynamic, as it always pays to be more user friendly than forcing people to have a certain browser "size" to view images etc.

 

[ming]

seems strange that the frontpage is fixed width while the forum is dynamic.

 

[Geffy]

Like these sites, way to much white on one, and way too much green on the other:


(Sorry Geffy and ElectronicPunk)

I'll have you know thats a dynamic fixed width. Its a fixed distance from the edges, but it does resize to your browser. Thats the reason why it wont work properly in MSIE without mounds of Javascript to fix things.

Theres also a few rendering bugs in sizing on there as well, which keep manifesting themselves. The calendar is the most awkward of them.

 

[SPeedY_B]

seems strange that the frontpage is fixed width while the forum is dynamic.

The front page is fully templated/themed, the forum is just kinda-themed

 

[X-Istence]

I'll have you know thats a dynamic fixed width. Its a fixed distance from the edges, but it does resize to your browser. Thats the reason why it wont work properly in MSIE without mounds of Javascript to fix things.

Theres also a few rendering bugs in sizing on there as well, which keep manifesting themselves. The calendar is the most awkward of them.

Hrm, still think there was a lot of whitespace on either side. Makes your blog posts all compressed.

 

[desie]

Dynamic but I've never been able to figure out how to do it, I assume CSS, I hope to learn once I get me a CSS book .