I see lots of sites designed with two options: frames/no frames.  What about
designing sites with resolution options?  Viewers could then pick the one
that matches their computer, or there may even be a way to do that
automatically.  A side trip to a tutorial could help coach those who don't
know how to change their machine but want to know more.  I agree there are a
lot of folks out there who either don't know and don't want to know, or more
likely, those who don't know and are just too scared or confused to try.  We
shouldn't just write them off.

I have never done this but it sure seems like it should be possible.
Multiple site options would be more work but they would also address the
needs of the mixed audience out there, and a tutorial could help bring at
least some into the fold on better resolutions - or we can wait around ten
years until all new computers are better and all the old ones have died out
(and then there will be even newer better standards that we have to wait
for, and so on).

There is a real catch-22 here.  If we design for the low end you cover more
people but we also deny many the benefits of higher resolutions, which may
be critical for some types of information (photo images, etc.).  In the
other hand it we take the elitist approach and design only for the high end
we leave a lot of folks out who may have benefited from what we have to
offer.  Neither approach alone is good.  The dual approach can do the job
nicely, even in today's (and tomorrow's) reality.

Just a thought.

Hmmm. Some enterprising type might even be able to figure out a way to
automate creation of multiple resolution sites.

skf

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-hwg-graphics(at)hwg.org [mailto:owner-hwg-graphics(at)hwg.org] On
Behalf Of Michael Beane
Sent: Tuesday, January 26, 1999 6:56 AM
To: hwg-graphics(at)hwg.org
Subject: Re: Resoultion


TheWideWeb(at)aol.com,.Internet writes:
>I think this is a major problem in the design community.  People are
>designing
>sites at 800x600 resolution.  This is a really bad choice.  All of the
>new
>computers purchased come with a default resolution of 640x480.
>Visitors do
>not want to have to adjust their monitor settings and many don't know
>how.

You've met my family then?

>I think that this is a vital step.  People must realize that over 50%
>still
>browse the Web at a low resolution.  This is partly due to Microsoft
>shipping
>all of their computers as 640x480 set as default.  Most new computer
>users
>don't even know how to set their resolution.  Others, like their
>computer
>screen bigger.

>Chris Lynch

While it could be argued that newer computers are shipping at 800x600,
it'd be extremely crued not to attempt to cater to the millions of
computers out there that are still running at 640 res.  One of the
things that is apparent to me on my campus is the amount of computers
that are in 640x480.  Funding doesnt grant much in the way of letting
them acquire much more than a basic system.

As much as I like my screen at eyeblistering resolutions, I have to
agree with you.  I've had to learn to produce at 640 and have gotten
far better results since then.  Though my personal page is quite
another matter :-P

Sincerely,
Mike Beane
---------------------------
Technology Consultant
UMSG, Inc.
---------------------------
http://www.umit.maine.edu/~michael_beane/
UIN #1322099

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