site review request

[B McDonald]

http://www.galtsvalley.com

Hi all. I've recently made some major stylistic changes to my site and now
it is essentially a new design with some new CSS plumbing. I am hoping that
a few hardy souls can go check it out and tell me how it renders on their
platform/browser combos. I have tested it under W2K, WXP, and System 9 on a
Power Mac 8600:

W2K: IE5.5 and Opera 7.1 (some small issues in Opera)
WXP: IE6 and NS7.1 (in IE6 a strange jerkiness when clicking on links that
are not inline... bottom margins seem to collapse a bit...)
OS9/Mac: IE5.1 and NS6 (very good)

Reports on Mozilla, Firebird, other NS and IE versions, and later Mac
platforms most appreciated!

Brian

[Christophe Vanfleteren]

Re: site review request

B McDonald wrote:
[color=blue]
> http://www.galtsvalley.com
>
> Hi all. I've recently made some major stylistic changes to my site and now
> it is essentially a new design with some new CSS plumbing. I am hoping
> that a few hardy souls can go check it out and tell me how it renders on
> their platform/browser combos. I have tested it under W2K, WXP, and System
> 9 on a Power Mac 8600:
>
> W2K: IE5.5 and Opera 7.1 (some small issues in Opera)
> WXP: IE6 and NS7.1 (in IE6 a strange jerkiness when clicking on links that
> are not inline... bottom margins seem to collapse a bit...)
> OS9/Mac: IE5.1 and NS6 (very good)
>
> Reports on Mozilla, Firebird, other NS and IE versions, and later Mac
> platforms most appreciated!
>
> Brian[/color]

Looks ok on Konqueror and Mozilla Firebird, but you might want to correct
those errors:

http://validator.w3.org/check?uri=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.galtsvalley.com%2F

--
mvg,
Christophe Vanfleteren

[Brian]

Re: site review request

B McDonald wrote:[color=blue]
> http://www.galtsvalley.com
>
> I am hoping that
> a few hardy souls can go check it out and tell me how it renders on their
> platform/browser combos.[/color]

Moz 1.3/Win 2k. For some reason, you think you know better than I
what font-size I prefer.

--
Brian
follow the directions in my address to email me

[B McDonald]

Re: site review request

>[color=blue]
> Moz 1.3/Win 2k. For some reason, you think you know better than I
> what font-size I prefer.
>
> --
> Brian[/color]

Wait. Which? I have defined most font sizes as %. They will scale with
personal settings. The only one I can think of off-hand that won't is
GALTSVALLEY.COM at the top - it's px.

Believe it or not, I actually took your advice soon after you gave it two or
three weeks ago.

Brian

[B McDonald]

Re: site review request

Wait. Thinking...

I guess I missed the point. It's not that you can enlarge or reduce the text
on my site, it's that I reduce it or enlarge it as a % of the settings you
have set for yourself. So - are you saying I should define all my font sizes
as em?

Brian

[Beauregard T. Shagnasty]

Re: site review request

B McDonald pounced upon this pigeonhole and pronounced:[color=blue]
> Wait. Thinking...
>
> I guess I missed the point. It's not that you can enlarge or reduce the text
> on my site, it's that I reduce it or enlarge it as a % of the settings you
> have set for yourself. So - are you saying I should define all my font sizes
> as em?[/color]

No. Just don't use 65%, 70%, 80%. Your text should be 100%. Headers
larger, copyright notices smaller. All else 100%. Drop the Verdana and
you'll see why.

The main GALTSVALLEY.COM overflows an 800x600 window. A horizontal
scrollbar is present. Redesign your template to eliminate it.

--
-bts
-This space intentionally left blank.

[B McDonald]

Re: site review request

>[color=blue]
> No. Just don't use 65%, 70%, 80%. Your text should be 100%. Headers
> larger, copyright notices smaller. All else 100%. Drop the Verdana and
> you'll see why.
>[/color]

Thanks. I conducted a little test and set the font-style to 'sans serif' and
the font-size to 100%. I'm not disappointed by what I see... but I do have a
couple questions.

(1) What should I set the line-height to? or does it not matter?
(2) I generally keep my IE text size setting set to "medium". With font-size
set to 100%, when the IE text size is set to anything larger than medium the
text immediately gets bolded. I don't like that. Should I care?
[color=blue]
> The main GALTSVALLEY.COM overflows an 800x600 window. A horizontal
> scrollbar is present. Redesign your template to eliminate it.
>[/color]

Can someone please tell me why anyone designs for an 800x600 window? I'm at
a loss here. What decade are we in?

[TrickyNick]

Re: site review request

B McDonald wrote:

[snip]
[color=blue]
>
>[color=green]
>>The main GALTSVALLEY.COM overflows an 800x600 window. A horizontal
>>scrollbar is present. Redesign your template to eliminate it.
>>[/color]
>
>
> Can someone please tell me why anyone designs for an 800x600 window? I'm at
> a loss here. What decade are we in?
>
>[/color]
The default setting for majority of monitors are at 800x600. There are quite a
few people that do not know who to change their resolution to anything higher
even though their monitor support is and would probably even look better.

--
TrickyNick
Nick_At-Sign_TrickyNick _Period_com

http://www.trickynick.com/

Development: http://www.trickynick.com/test/

[B McDonald]

Re: site review request

> The default setting for majority of monitors are at 800x600. There are
quite a[color=blue]
> few people that do not know who to change their resolution to anything[/color]
higher[color=blue]
> even though their monitor support is and would probably even look better.
>[/color]

See. I knew that. Just two weeks ago I changed the screen resolution on my
best friend's parent's computer. They were in awe of the result. Their
machine turned into a brand new computer for them.

But still - why should I, or anyone for that matter, design for such a
limitation? It is way too constricting. I mean, unless I'm selling pantyhose
to the masses - or some other mass-market item - there's no point.

Brian

[TrickyNick]

Re: site review request

B McDonald wrote:
[color=blue][color=green]
>>The default setting for majority of monitors are at 800x600. There are[/color]
>
> quite a
>[color=green]
>>few people that do not know who to change their resolution to anything[/color]
>
> higher
>[color=green]
>>even though their monitor support is and would probably even look better.
>>[/color]
>
>
> See. I knew that. Just two weeks ago I changed the screen resolution on my
> best friend's parent's computer. They were in awe of the result. Their
> machine turned into a brand new computer for them.
>
> But still - why should I, or anyone for that matter, design for such a
> limitation? It is way too constricting. I mean, unless I'm selling pantyhose
> to the masses - or some other mass-market item - there's no point.
>
> Brian
>
>[/color]

So, you want to design your page which most people will have to scroll
horizontally to see all your information?

Remember, majority of people are not as computer savvy as we are.

--
TrickyNick
Nick_At-Sign_TrickyNick _Period_com

http://www.trickynick.com/

Development: http://www.trickynick.com/test/

[Brian]

Re: site review request

B McDonald wrote:[color=blue]
>
> But still - why should I, or anyone for that matter, design for such a
> limitation?[/color]

http://www.allmyfaqs.com/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?AnySizeDesign

[color=blue]
> It is way too constricting. I mean, unless I'm selling pantyhose
> to the masses - or some other mass-market item - there's no point.[/color]

If you're not writing for "the masses," then why write at all? Shut
off your site and reduce the noise.

--
Brian
follow the directions in my address to email me

[Beauregard T. Shagnasty]

Re: site review request

B McDonald pounced upon this pigeonhole and pronounced:[color=blue][color=green]
> >
> > No. Just don't use 65%, 70%, 80%. Your text should be 100%. Headers
> > larger, copyright notices smaller. All else 100%. Drop the Verdana and
> > you'll see why.
> >[/color]
>
> Thanks. I conducted a little test and set the font-style to 'sans serif' and
> the font-size to 100%. I'm not disappointed by what I see... but I do have a
> couple questions.[/color]

That's good. Do understand that your visitors will most likely *not* have
their computers and monitors (and browser window sizes) the same as yours.
[color=blue]
> (1) What should I set the line-height to? or does it not matter?[/color]

Leave it to the default, except in the most unusual circumstances.
[color=blue]
> (2) I generally keep my IE text size setting set to "medium". With font-size
> set to 100%, when the IE text size is set to anything larger than medium the
> text immediately gets bolded. I don't like that. Should I care?[/color]

100% is the visitor's default (and preferred) size. If they have vision
problems, they may be at "Larger" and prefer that. Personally, I have IE
set at "Smaller." (Though I rarely *use* IE.)
[color=blue][color=green]
> > The main GALTSVALLEY.COM overflows an 800x600 window. A horizontal
> > scrollbar is present. Redesign your template to eliminate it.[/color][/color]

If the CSS for that "banner" was set at some number of em, it wouldn't
overflow.
[color=blue]
>
> Can someone please tell me why anyone designs for an 800x600 window? I'm at
> a loss here. What decade are we in?[/color]

The object here is to design for... no size. Make it float so that in my
740px window, I still don't need scrollbars. Monitor resolution is not
equal to browser window size. Most people with high resolution screens do
not browse with the window maximized.

http://allmyfaqs.com/faq.pl?AnySizeDesign

Here's a site of mine. Note how you can change your font to any size, and
make the browser window whatever size you care to, and it all still fits.
http://www.freezeblock.com/ No scrollbars necessary.

--
-bts
-This space intentionally left blank.

[B McDonald]

Re: site review request

> So, you want to design your page which most people will have to scroll[color=blue]
> horizontally to see all your information?
>
> Remember, majority of people are not as computer savvy as we are.
>[/color]

I know. It's a good point to remember. But often certain "rules of good
design" are bandied about in ciwas like edicts. (Look at "Beauregard T.
Shagnasty"'s remark - he curtly commands that I "redesign (my) template to
eliminate it".) Did Mr. Shagnasty stop a moment to reflect on whether or not
it matters, in every case, that a website be designed to fit the 800x600
viewport? I'm not sure it's important in my case. I'm not sure the added
grief is worth my effort. And I would sooner tell the CSS violator of the
800x600 dimension, that it's happening and nothing more (or perhaps profer a
work-around that will preserve the same effect).

Now, Brian's remark (also curt) about me force-feeding people like him my
font-size preferences - that's excellent advice. Maybe he was curt (if he
even remembers) because I (seemingly) ignored him the first time. But he's
convinced me that his issue is one with which I've got to concern myself.
And he's made me hell-bent on pleasing people like him.

It's a fine line to walk you Shagnasty's of the world.

Brian

[B McDonald]

Re: site review request

> > It is way too constricting. I mean, unless I'm selling pantyhose[color=blue][color=green]
> > to the masses - or some other mass-market item - there's no point.[/color]
>
> If you're not writing for "the masses," then why write at all? Shut
> off your site and reduce the noise.
>[/color]

Huh? Pablo Neruda wrote for himself. Where would that put the rest of us if
he didn't write his daily poetry?

Maybe you should stick to technical advice.

[B McDonald]

Re: site review request

> > Thanks. I conducted a little test and set the font-style to 'sans serif'
and[color=blue][color=green]
> > the font-size to 100%. I'm not disappointed by what I see... but I do[/color][/color]
have a[color=blue][color=green]
> > couple questions.[/color]
>
> That's good. Do understand that your visitors will most likely *not* have
> their computers and monitors (and browser window sizes) the same as yours.
>[color=green]
> > (1) What should I set the line-height to? or does it not matter?[/color]
>
> Leave it to the default, except in the most unusual circumstances.
>[/color]

Ok.
[color=blue][color=green]
> > (2) I generally keep my IE text size setting set to "medium". With[/color][/color]
font-size[color=blue][color=green]
> > set to 100%, when the IE text size is set to anything larger than medium[/color][/color]
the[color=blue][color=green]
> > text immediately gets bolded. I don't like that. Should I care?[/color]
>
> 100% is the visitor's default (and preferred) size. If they have vision
> problems, they may be at "Larger" and prefer that. Personally, I have IE
> set at "Smaller." (Though I rarely *use* IE.)
>[/color]

Ok. I use IE as my baseline because that's how most people exerience the
web.
[color=blue][color=green][color=darkred]
> > > The main GALTSVALLEY.COM overflows an 800x600 window. A horizontal
> > > scrollbar is present. Redesign your template to eliminate it.[/color][/color]
>
> If the CSS for that "banner" was set at some number of em, it wouldn't
> overflow.
>[color=green]
> >
> > Can someone please tell me why anyone designs for an 800x600 window? I'm[/color][/color]
at[color=blue][color=green]
> > a loss here. What decade are we in?[/color]
>
> The object here is to design for... no size. Make it float so that in my
> 740px window, I still don't need scrollbars. Monitor resolution is not
> equal to browser window size. Most people with high resolution screens do
> not browse with the window maximized.
>
> http://allmyfaqs.com/faq.pl?AnySizeDesign
>
> Here's a site of mine. Note how you can change your font to any size, and
> make the browser window whatever size you care to, and it all still fits.
> http://www.freezeblock.com/ No scrollbars necessary.
>[/color]

You've made me regret my post of a few minutes ago. Thanks for the
thoughtful answer. It's an attempt, at least, to help me understand why
800x600 matters to me.

Brian
[color=blue]
> --
> -bts
> -This space intentionally left blank.[/color]