This line of argument is getting a little silly but... Jeff Garland wrote:
I was just using myself as an example and stating my preference. I didn't really want to start a research war here, but if you want to go that way see: Designing Web Usability, Jakob Nielson p 174. Key quotes under the topic How Wide Should the Page Be: "you shouldn't design for any standard width...Users who have large screens should be allowed to benefit from their investment".
Benefits come in different forms. As Dave pointed out having a "larger" monitor has the benefit of allowing you to place multiple narrower windows side by side. Which is something I do as I have large, 20in and 21in 1600x1200 dual monitors. So I don't see how the current constrained design prevents you from getting benefit.
It's not just about me and my big monitor, it's about the small monitors and resolutions too.
How is it about small monitors and resolutions? Because you might have to scroll left and right? The design can be fixed to allow for that.
This issue is much more complex than a single study.
Yes it is and I think there was a previous post which quoted this summary: http://www.humanfactors.com/downloads/nov02.asp Past Issues - UI Design Newsletter
Nielson is an acknowledged expert in usability and web design.
But he is only one expert, as you said it's more complex than a single study. Hence by extension it must be more complex than one persons study.
I'm sure he is fully aware of the research you cite. Take a gandor at his site http://www.useit.com/. Tell me what you find regarding resizeability and use of space.
I find that his front page is split into two narrow columns.
Look at an article on the site:
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20031110.html
Note that the lines take the entire width of the browser. Also note most violated home page guideline #2:
"2. Use a liquid layout that lets users adjust the homepage size Compliance rate: 28% Guideline number in Homepage Usability book: 67
Fighting frozen layouts seems a lost battle, but it's worth repeating: different users have different monitor sizes. People with big monitors want to be able to resize their browsers to view multiple windows simultaneously. You can't assume that everyone's window width is 800 pixels: it's too much for some users and too little for others. "
That is an argument which does not apply to my design. I do not assume any particular pixel size! I only assume that 10 to 12 words per line is the most pleasing line length. That is what centuries of research and experimentation have shown. -- -- Grafik - Don't Assume Anything -- Redshift Software, Inc. - http://redshift-software.com -- rrivera/acm.org - grafik/redshift-software.com -- 102708583/icq - grafikrobot/aim - Grafik/jabber.org