Re: Why're big corps doing 800px sites nowadays

From: clintonG (csgallagher_at_REMOVETHISTEXTmetromilwaukee.com)
Date: 02/08/05 

Date: Tue, 8 Feb 2005 10:18:30 -0600

<snip />

If you look in the Sunday papers you will have observed that for at least
the last year most computers are being sold with 17" monitors. Walk up to
one of the computers on the shelf in any of the big retailers and check the
desktop settings and you will discover that 1024x768 is coming from the
factory as the defacto configuration.

The 800x600 layouts became prevalent when the 15" monitor was the common
hardware denominator and the factory desktop settings were configured
accordingly. The higher 1024x768 resolution was possible of course but it
was the lower 800x600 resolution that was deemed optimal for the 15"
monitor. I support the contention that the lower resolution on the smaller
monitors was chosen as it was in fact optimal for reading on the smaller
display.

Over time -- perhaps this year or next -- market saturation will occur, many
people will continue to use 15" monitors of course and there are going to be
800x600 layouts around for some time but through attrition people will buy
up to 17" (or larger) or will acquire a 17" monitor with a new computer
purchase. That will continue to tip the trend toward 1024x768 as the defacto
'standard' resolution.

This same phenomena occurred several years ago with color settings and
design of images. It seems like only yesterday that people were asking how
many colors they should use for images and design of their website layouts.
At the time the video cards could not output the colors we have available
today. These days, the 'Browser Safe Colors' are a historical footnote and
only became so after vendors equipped their computers with video cards that
were factory configured to support many colors. For the most part, consumers
had no idea what was going on and simply used what they were being sold as
it was configured right out of the box.

I contend the same is happening now with monitor resolution. In time, this
discussion and any arguements that may come of it will fade away and become
as meaningless as discussions related to browser safe colors which in
general we do not even hear mentioned anymore.

There is however IMO one credible argument that could slow the trend towards
1024x768 and that would be the emergence of the LCD monitors. While I am
confident my assessment is credible and the adoption of higher resolutions
will in fact occur in the same way as we witnessed higher color settings it
would only be so when discussing the CRT. As LCDs are quite costly it seems
the 15" form factor has lots of life left in it and will for some time
continue to compromise the growing use of 1024x768 resolutions as the 15"
LCDs are being configured to support 800x600 for the same reason the 15"
CRTs were so configured and that is simply because 800x600 enables an
optimal reading experience on the 15" form factor.

Still, the price vs form factor phenomena that affected video cards and
color and then the size of the CRT and its resolution will similarly affect
LCDs and the 1024x768 higher resolutions will became prevalent as will
higher and higher resolutions as the price vs form factor metrics change.

For me, this has been a learning experience that was at first an observation
and then confirmed as it replicated itself allowing me to come to a
conclusion. Thus, common sense demands that persons who also come to
understand the price vs form factor phenomena and how it affects
configuration will also be compelled to stop relying on fixed table layouts
and learn to master CSS. 

-- 
<%= Clinton Gallagher
         METROmilwaukee "Regional Information Services"
         NET csgallagher AT metromilwaukee.com
         URL http://clintongallagher.metromilwaukee.com/

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