<fieldset><legend>108TV Extra!</legend>Check out this week's broadcast of 108TV for further ramblings about this topic!</fieldset>

Since there's <a href="http://64digits.com/index.php?userid=&cmd=view_comments&id=91" target=_blank>some debating over users' screen resolutions in the latest news post</a>, I thought I'd post a blog about it, because it's a problem I've run into many times myself with my recent interest in web development.

For starters, <a href="http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_stats.asp" target=_blank>I saved you the roughly five seconds of Googling "screen resolution statistics" and finding a relevant result (i.e. the first one)</a>. If you're too lazy to click the link, the W3C reports that, as of January 2006, 1024x768 is the most common screen resolution (57%), with 800x600 coming in a distant second (20%). The rest of the categories, 640x480, unknown, and higher than 1024x768 are 0%, 6%, and 17%, respectively.

I know from experience that this is probably the biggest problem for web developers (ask RhysAndrews about the problems he had designing the new GameCave site for different resolutions…lol), surpassing even the target user's browser in terms of importance. However, to parallel the browser thing; there's no reason to design a website for Internet Explorer 3, 4, or 5, is there? Of course not. I don't doubt that Microsoft-haters and the occasional grandpa are still using them, but you can't satisfy the whole world at once. If so, then why don't you just make the website without using graphics and in 320x240 resolution, just in case a visitor uses Lynx as their sole browser?

So then why should a web developer design a website for the minorities? If you still use 800x600, you should know the risks and accept the fact that websites are generally designed for higher resolutions.

In fact, why would anyone still use 800x600 in the first place?<ul><li>If it's the highest your graphics card will go, then you need a new graphics card. Desperately.</li><li>If it's the highest your monitor will go, then explain why you don't have a monitor manufactured after, like, 1994?</li><li>If it's because your monitor would be hard to read at 1024x768, then <b>why in the world do you have a monitor smaller than 15 inches?!</b></li><li>If it's because your OS doesn't support…no, I won't even get into that.</li></ul>In closing: if you have your computer set to 800x600…turn it up. Now.