On Nov 30, 2007 12:17 AM, Ches Martin <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > it's web design 101 material that wide columns of text on the > web are an atrocity.
No it isn't. If you find the text too wide, just shrink your browser window. Full-width text allows everybody to set the window size they prefer. Having sidebars forces a minimum window size to keep the main column from getting too narrow. This makes it more difficult to have several windows open at once. Full-width text also shows the maximum content in one screenful, minimizing scrolling and making it easier to navigate through the document. It also avoids the need for a print view because you can print the normal view. One narrow sidebar is OK if the menu is useful. A second sidebar is usually used for advertising, which may be advantageous to the site owner but it cuts into the content area. Two wide sidebars are the worst; they make the article flow through a narrow channel. Then, instead of putting the entire article on one page, some sites splits it up into printed-page size pages, apparently so they can show you another pageful of ads. GMail, in which I'm reading this, has sidebars that take up 50% of the screen width. That's too much, IMO. It's possible to combine a wide line with a small font that makes the reader move his head back and forth. That's too wide, and it makes the reader lose his place. But I've never had a problem with the width of the Confluence pages; they seem just right. -- Mike Orr <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "pylons-discuss" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/pylons-discuss?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
