http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/ Engadget Comments for Poll: fixed or variable width content for Engadget? http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/May 21st 2008 4:16PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/
After you have finished toying with the variable/fixed column widths could you please, for the love of all things mobile, PLEASE, do some sort of browser detection and stop loading those bloated flash ads if the user is browsing with a mobile device? The site takes a good 3 minutes to load via EDGE, and it's all because of the ads. Yeah, I know there is a mobile specific site, but I prefer the rich content of the full site. Google text ads are your friend.

]]>May 22nd 2008 1:05PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/
And since I'm on a Mac hitting maximize only makes it as big as it needs to be to fit all the elements and not a massive page of whitespace so it's still not a problem :) ]]>May 21st 2008 4:17PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/
Fixed width will just mean another page I'll avoid browsing on the eee.]]>May 21st 2008 4:21PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/May 21st 2008 5:25PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/May 22nd 2008 3:05PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/May 21st 2008 4:23PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/May 21st 2008 4:59PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/
Whats so hard about expose / apple key+tab?]]>May 21st 2008 6:36PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/
I wish you'd get rid of the changing feature thing on the upper right though, it's very distracting when trying to actually read content, much like a Flash ad would be if I weren't using Flashblock.]]>May 21st 2008 4:24PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/May 21st 2008 4:26PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/May 21st 2008 4:33PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/
Adblock:
https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/10

Filterset.g Updater:
https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/1136

Or if you use Safari, just install Safari adblock and you'll never see ads again. Again, no settings to mess with other than just enabling it...
http://safariadblock.sourceforge.net/


]]>May 21st 2008 4:47PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/May 21st 2008 4:54PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/May 21st 2008 5:16PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/]]>May 21st 2008 5:22PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/May 21st 2008 5:26PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/May 21st 2008 4:28PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/May 21st 2008 4:27PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/May 21st 2008 5:11PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/So I'm not understanding why they say it's a problem for people with wider monitors, it still never goes wider than a certain width.]]>May 21st 2008 5:54PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/
So I'm not sure how the the site is "variable width" in any way at all.

Using Firefox on a 1024x768 screen.]]>May 21st 2008 6:11PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/]]>May 21st 2008 4:36PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/
Right now, it's perfect for me. The ads get clipped out on my Nokia N800. :3 If it gets variable width, I'll have to scroll alot. D:

Why not a variable with limits?]]>May 21st 2008 5:45PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/May 21st 2008 4:44PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/May 21st 2008 4:56PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/May 21st 2008 5:36PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/I'm into variable width, but it just gets TOO wide. Cut it back some.
I mean I'd love it to be variable like in 1280 being widest possible. Thats half of my screen, perfect for browsing because no pages are wide enough not to fit in. And I can still put 2 pages side by side comfortably (product comparison).

Yes, it looks horrible when it gets SUPER wide.]]>May 21st 2008 4:39PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/May 21st 2008 5:22PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/May 21st 2008 4:42PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/May 21st 2008 4:43PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/Not sure thou... I guess you'll have to change it (at least for a limited period of time) and then ask the readers...
]]>May 21st 2008 4:47PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/
Maybe that would be an acceptable compromise?]]>May 21st 2008 4:47PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/May 21st 2008 4:51PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/May 21st 2008 5:42PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/
I think too much..

tldr: but yea.. max-width is a good compromise imho..]]>May 22nd 2008 12:53AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.alistapart.com/articles/switchymclayout

Its standard and flexible... boo-yah!!!]]>May 22nd 2008 2:26AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/
Engadget works nicely with variable-width pages and a sane maximum width. It'd be a shame to make it fixed-width, because if you made it readable on 1024*xxx the advertisement columns would dwarf the content.]]>May 22nd 2008 12:35PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/May 21st 2008 4:48PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/
....but remember with those, it's both or neither.
(post edits would also be nice)]]>May 21st 2008 4:49PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/
you'll probably be squinting when reading anyway. I usually enlarge the text on most sites (firefox cmd/ctrl and + --- in FF3 it remembers the magnification for specific sites), and images get enlarged, too.]]>May 21st 2008 4:49PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/
Huh? Mega-wide? No, I just never maximize windows. Why would anyone do that?

Variable with, all the way. That way I can have whatever width I feel like for the 'gadget window.]]>May 21st 2008 4:49PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/
most people in Windows maximize every window because it's nearly impossible to be productive at all with that mess of a windowing system. (unless you reduce it to effectively just show a single window at a time, IE, maximizing everything.)]]>May 21st 2008 4:55PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/May 21st 2008 4:49PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/
The best scenario would be to write a page that created small columns across the screen as you stretch your browser. But that's difficult and cumbersome.]]>May 21st 2008 4:52PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/May 21st 2008 4:53PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/May 21st 2008 4:55PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/May 21st 2008 4:59PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/
than again, i just resize my window to the width i want if i don't want the text stretching all the way across the monitor. I think this would really only be an issue for Windows users with their need to maximize everything. ]]>May 21st 2008 4:53PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/21/poll-fixed-or-variable-width-content-for-engadget/May 21st 2008 4:57PM