Re: Fixed or Variable Width Layouts
I prefer fixed width but it always depends on the content and what the customer wants.
You can be "right" and lose the client, you can give your customers what they think they want or you can do some research and show them why your idea is best for their site users. Work out a compromise based on proven data from your server logs.
You'll probably see that the vast majority of your users are viewing pages at 1024 x 768 or greater.
Regarding fluid layouts, I can't stand looking at a TFT display with a ridiculous resolution and seeing a center column that's 1400 pixels wide with left and right columns that are 250 pixels wide on either side of it.
IMHO, a great fluid layout will incorporate centered content with a max-width and min-width to place some restrictions on the design.
The content, headers and footers should neither collapse nor expand to a point where they look silly.
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