New Layout Wiki4D [OT]

[Daniel Keep]

http://weblogs.mozillazine.org/roc/archives/2005/03/gecko_18_for_we.html

Of course, you'll need a fairly recent version of a Mozilla browser.
Just try resizing the window left and right to see what happens.

	-- Daniel

Pragma wrote:
> Stewart Gordon wrote:
>> Pragma Wrote:
>> <snip>
>>> For general site layout, I agree.  However, for columnar layout of
>>> content, fixing the width for content has everything to do with
>>> readability for the sighted - I for one have a hard time reading
>>> paragraph after paragraph of text laid out at over 1000px wide. 
>>> Granted, I could just resize my browser, but the effect is hardly the
>>> same.
>>
>> It also has everything to do with unreadability for the sighted, if
>> they have to keep scrolling their screens in a variety of directions
>> just because the designer's browser dimensions don't match.
>>
>>> The ideal solution is having paragraphs elements that layout such
>>> that they create natural (magazine-style) columns regardless of the
>>> dimensions of the page itself.  But I have yet to see that happen
>>> without constraining the page width, height or number of columns in
>>> some way, without resorting to javascript hacks.  ;)
>>
>> Some would claim that magazine-style columns don't belong on the WWW,
>> but are just a pointless attempt to mimic printed material.  Someone
>> once said:
>>
>> http://allmyfaqs.net/faq.pl?Fix_the_wrong_problem
> 
> Good link.  I'll have to hang onto that one.
> 
>> "Trying to force a text-flow from one column to another, when the real
>> problem is creating text interesting enough to induce readers to
>> scroll their displays in a presentation based on methods appropriate
>> to the medium instead of those adopted from print. "
>>
>> Moreover, to read columns on a web page you would often have to scroll
>> down the column to read it, and then scroll up again to read the next
>> column.
> 
> Aside: I find it genuinely funny that my newsreader (Thunderbird) saw
> fit to quote you without line-wrapping in my editor. :)
> 
> You're right (and your quoted source is right) that it's a PITA to
> scroll down, then up again to keep reading.  I think the only way that
> works at all is if you have dissimilar content, stories or whatnot in
> each column - kind of like CNN's story layout.  That way you have only
> one true column for something of interest, leaving the user to "shift
> gears" and scroll up to do something else.
> 
> Otherwise, for a "minimal scrolling magazine style layout", you'd have
> to constrain the page to the height of the viewport, and encourage
> horizontal scrolling instead of vertical - a little counter-intuitive
> (and very unconventional), but I've seen similar things done before with
> good looking results.  I'm not advocating this for the wiki, but I
> wouldn't mind having a personal Blog done this way.
> 
>> Maybe there is a way in which such a thing could be reasonably
> implemented....
> 
> It can be done a whole bunch of ways: javascript + CSS comes to mind so
> you can adopt a different layout depending on the viewport size/shape. 
> But then it all comes back to accessibility and browser behavior by
> version and vendor: "what is acceptable and what isn't" depends on your
> audience. :(
> 
> Now what would be nice is if browser vendors changed how big an EM is
> depending on the viewport size.
> 

-- 
Unlike Knuth, I have neither proven or tried the above; it may not even
make sense.

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