does a user's creen size or screen resolution settings affect the way a web site displays for them?<br />
<br />
ie if a person has 800x600 or 1024x768 and also if a person has a larger/smaller monitor?<br />
<br />
hows is this problem combatted??<!--content-->Without going into this too deeply, although I prob will the short answer is that it is very very very important. <br />
<br />
There are four main factors that will determine how a site is percieved, these being:<br />
<br />
Screen Size<br />
Screen Res<br />
Browser<br />
Platform (ie Mac, Web TV or PC)<br />
<br />
<br />
I hope screen size doesn't need explaining but to say that in my experiance people using 17" and 19" monitors at home still view sites at a 800*600 res... only because they don't know how to ajust the res.<br />
<br />
Screen res is an important function to plan for when writing a site. The res to design for is 800*600. Most surfers view at this res (51%), but that doesn't mean some surfers don't surf at 640*480 (6%). I think it safe to ignore the latter though. Often over looked is the live space of a screen.<br />
<br />
A browser affects the live space. Just because a screen res is 800*600, that doesn't mean you get that to play with. Live space is the space you have when tool bars etc are removed. The lowest live space you should design for is (accounting for Netscape/Explorer) 778*406 on a pc and 751*427 on a mac, that is obviously at a 800*600 screen res. Various versions of explorer and netscape have diffrent live spaces, those just quoted would be the lowest of versions 5+. Combining these two you get 751*406.<br />
<br />
As you can see, the software changes the display. Hardware will also chnge the display. From the last paragraph you will see that PC's and Macs work a little differently. But there is a 3rd and much overlooked way of connecting to the web. Via a TV. TV's to put it bluntly are crap for internet viewing and interactivity. But people are buying more and more of them as an alternative to hogging up a PC or because they are cheaper. I am not sure what a web tv screen res would be, but the live space is 544*378. I would never design for web tv, but that depends on your content. If you are interested in more on web tv go to:<br />
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://developer.webtv.net">http://developer.webtv.net</a><!-- m --><br />
<br />
As for your question as I may have digressed a little...<br />
<br />
There are two ways to combat the various diplays in a design aspect.<br />
<br />
1] Design your page at a fixed width, ie at a 800*600 res, with a live space of 751*406. This way mac and pc viewers will have no problem with your site. Perhaps the best way to start the design is with a table, width set to 751... and include everything inside that.<br />
<br />
2] The alternative is to dynamically author your site so that your page expands to fill the user area. If you do this... design your page with your monitor at 800*600 res then tweak it at a higher res. Why? The page may look great at a low res but empty at a higher res.<br />
<br />
I hope that gives you some insight and some design ideas.<br />
More than anything I hope it made sense.<!--content-->nicely said entimp.... but I do have to disagree. always try to please everybody, doesn't matter what resolution they have. so in order to do that you have to design as dynamic as you can, by adding the percentages instead of actual pixels. that way you please everybody.<br />
<br />
and I have a 19" monitor and I view at 800x600 because the 1024x748 is way to small for me. not because I don't know how to change it.
<!--content-->but I do have to disagree. always try to please everybody <br />
<br />
I agree with you here..., but only at 800*600 and above. You do need a cut off point for old technology at somepoiont down the line. I think the time has come for anything lower than 800*600. The same will have to happen to 800*600 eventually. But for now I agree with you, I did try to describe a dynamic approach in option 2, at the bottom of my post. Maybe not strong enuff.<br />
<br />
Anyway, back to Never Winter Nights, ackkk my graphics card is splut....<!--content-->Originally posted by scoutt <br />
and I have a 19" monitor and I view at 800x600 because the 1024x748 is way to small for me. not because I don't know how to change it. <br />
Same here, though I have a 15", which of course is no better.<br />
<br />
And a dynamic page is the best way to go, in my opinion. But I also agree with entimp, in that trying to design for 640x480 is just too much effort wasted, expecially since most pages are not designed for it, so I'm sure those people are all use to it.
But yes, if you design your site dynamicly then you should have no problems. If you look at my page (<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.wackiness.org">http://www.wackiness.org</a><!-- m -->) (mind you this not some meaningless ad, just an example), if you view it in any view it still fits your screen other then the contacts getting scrunched up in 640x480, which I can live with.<!--content-->I think it is safe to say that we don't code for 640x480. I don't have very many poeple that use that and view my site and I don't know anybody that has it. when I say please everybody, that everybody is 800 and above.<!--content-->
<br />
ie if a person has 800x600 or 1024x768 and also if a person has a larger/smaller monitor?<br />
<br />
hows is this problem combatted??<!--content-->Without going into this too deeply, although I prob will the short answer is that it is very very very important. <br />
<br />
There are four main factors that will determine how a site is percieved, these being:<br />
<br />
Screen Size<br />
Screen Res<br />
Browser<br />
Platform (ie Mac, Web TV or PC)<br />
<br />
<br />
I hope screen size doesn't need explaining but to say that in my experiance people using 17" and 19" monitors at home still view sites at a 800*600 res... only because they don't know how to ajust the res.<br />
<br />
Screen res is an important function to plan for when writing a site. The res to design for is 800*600. Most surfers view at this res (51%), but that doesn't mean some surfers don't surf at 640*480 (6%). I think it safe to ignore the latter though. Often over looked is the live space of a screen.<br />
<br />
A browser affects the live space. Just because a screen res is 800*600, that doesn't mean you get that to play with. Live space is the space you have when tool bars etc are removed. The lowest live space you should design for is (accounting for Netscape/Explorer) 778*406 on a pc and 751*427 on a mac, that is obviously at a 800*600 screen res. Various versions of explorer and netscape have diffrent live spaces, those just quoted would be the lowest of versions 5+. Combining these two you get 751*406.<br />
<br />
As you can see, the software changes the display. Hardware will also chnge the display. From the last paragraph you will see that PC's and Macs work a little differently. But there is a 3rd and much overlooked way of connecting to the web. Via a TV. TV's to put it bluntly are crap for internet viewing and interactivity. But people are buying more and more of them as an alternative to hogging up a PC or because they are cheaper. I am not sure what a web tv screen res would be, but the live space is 544*378. I would never design for web tv, but that depends on your content. If you are interested in more on web tv go to:<br />
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://developer.webtv.net">http://developer.webtv.net</a><!-- m --><br />
<br />
As for your question as I may have digressed a little...<br />
<br />
There are two ways to combat the various diplays in a design aspect.<br />
<br />
1] Design your page at a fixed width, ie at a 800*600 res, with a live space of 751*406. This way mac and pc viewers will have no problem with your site. Perhaps the best way to start the design is with a table, width set to 751... and include everything inside that.<br />
<br />
2] The alternative is to dynamically author your site so that your page expands to fill the user area. If you do this... design your page with your monitor at 800*600 res then tweak it at a higher res. Why? The page may look great at a low res but empty at a higher res.<br />
<br />
I hope that gives you some insight and some design ideas.<br />
More than anything I hope it made sense.<!--content-->nicely said entimp.... but I do have to disagree. always try to please everybody, doesn't matter what resolution they have. so in order to do that you have to design as dynamic as you can, by adding the percentages instead of actual pixels. that way you please everybody.<br />
<br />
and I have a 19" monitor and I view at 800x600 because the 1024x748 is way to small for me. not because I don't know how to change it.
<!--content-->but I do have to disagree. always try to please everybody <br /><br />
I agree with you here..., but only at 800*600 and above. You do need a cut off point for old technology at somepoiont down the line. I think the time has come for anything lower than 800*600. The same will have to happen to 800*600 eventually. But for now I agree with you, I did try to describe a dynamic approach in option 2, at the bottom of my post. Maybe not strong enuff.<br />
<br />
Anyway, back to Never Winter Nights, ackkk my graphics card is splut....<!--content-->Originally posted by scoutt <br />
and I have a 19" monitor and I view at 800x600 because the 1024x748 is way to small for me. not because I don't know how to change it.
<br />Same here, though I have a 15", which of course is no better.<br />
<br />
And a dynamic page is the best way to go, in my opinion. But I also agree with entimp, in that trying to design for 640x480 is just too much effort wasted, expecially since most pages are not designed for it, so I'm sure those people are all use to it.
But yes, if you design your site dynamicly then you should have no problems. If you look at my page (<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.wackiness.org">http://www.wackiness.org</a><!-- m -->) (mind you this not some meaningless ad, just an example), if you view it in any view it still fits your screen other then the contacts getting scrunched up in 640x480, which I can live with.<!--content-->I think it is safe to say that we don't code for 640x480. I don't have very many poeple that use that and view my site and I don't know anybody that has it. when I say please everybody, that everybody is 800 and above.<!--content-->