On 2009/06/22 13:02 (GMT-0400) Jenni Beard composed: > I'm having yet another problem with the site I'm working on. It seemed > perfect, then I was told that the person viewing it could not see the entire > site (width) on his computer monitor. I verified that this is not a very > old monitor.
> I probably should try to make the overall wrapper width a bit narrower since > it's set at a width of 1200px, but I was designing the site with the idea > that the old 600x800 monitors are pretty much obsolete so it seems that it > should work in anything else. I've viewed the site on 4 different > machines-including a fairly small laptop screen, which shows it perfectly. > But while viewing on a different, older laptop, one must scroll side to side > to see much of the text while keeping the left navigation in view. I'm told > by a few friends that I had check it that it views the same way on a couple > other screens. > So my question is, is there a way to make the site stay the same size on a > larger monitor but automatically shrink down on a smaller one? > Please keep in mind that the site must be easily viewable by an audience > that is not terribly computer-savvy so expecting them to change monitor > settings or browser settings is not the solution. > http://fossilbyte.com/1/index.html It's nice that you want to accommodate anachronistic screen resolutions. Have you considered accommodating the opposite situation? Here's an example showing what can happen on an expensive high quality modern display: http://fm.no-ip.com/SS/jennbe01.jpg Note that to consider it properly requires one of two things: 1-using a display of same resolution and size, or 2-mentally adjusting to the different object sizes by using objects other than the content of your page as a frame of reference, such as web pages of elastic design, other open apps, and/or the desktop's UI text. The problem is actually the same at 2560x1600 as it is at 800x600. You've set an inflexible overall width in px, as well as other of your CSS sizes. That "fixed width" methodology does not and cannot take into account that not everyone uses mediocre hardware and settings. Essentially it's what's known as resolution dependent, which only works well if the viewer's system resolution isn't far removed from your own. If you convert to a resolution independent system of sizing, e.g. via elastic (em-based) rather than fixed design, you have the potential to please a far greater number of visitors, whether their displays are old, new, in between -- or future. -- "Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle." Proverbs 23:5 NIV Team OS/2 ** Reg. Linux User #211409 Felix Miata *** http://fm.no-ip.com/ ______________________________________________________________________ css-discuss [[email protected]] http://www.css-discuss.org/mailman/listinfo/css-d List wiki/FAQ -- http://css-discuss.incutio.com/ List policies -- http://css-discuss.org/policies.html Supported by evolt.org -- http://www.evolt.org/help_support_evolt/
