Hi weslinda
The same sort of thing was covered in my thread a few months ago
http://www.webproworld.com/viewtopic.php?t=60301 where some interesting points were covered.
Having said what I said on that thread, I am currently having to develop a fixed web template for one of my customers. The reason: His cousins/friends/boyfriend works for an ad agency and wanted to get into web design (not development, you understand) so I am stuck trying to make a half-viewable copy of a very fussy web page. I might try fluid as well, not just to prive to myself that I can do it, but so I can prove that its nigh impossible.
I do feel your pain. I agree with making a website compatible across numerous browsers. But there is a point where you just can't do that. For example for mobile phone and podcasts (5" or so to play with).
100% doesn't always work for me either, but when I do fixed I tend to find the magic number widthways is 749 pixels.
HTH