Don't design to an absolute size.

From computer to computer, you are going to find:

- Different screen resolutions

- Different color sets

- Different browser software

- Different window sizes

- Different monitor dot sizes

You have to make things flexible if you are going to have approximately the same look across a variety of computers.

You must accept the following facts:

- Different computers have different numbers of pixels for the vertical and horizontal sizes of the screen.

- People with vision problems use lower screen resolutions.

- Your page is going to look different on different display sizes.

- If stuff is too wide for the display, it scrolls.

- There is no way to make a page exactly fill the screen vertically.

- The same image will fill a larger part of a low-resolution monitor, and a smaller part of a high-resolution monitor.

- Many flat-panel monitors have lower resolutions.

- Layers don't work on many computers. This feature is too new.

- Absolute positioning does not work on different screen resolutions.

- Web TV browsers have a very low resolution (320 X 200).

What does work:

- Use percentages of the screen width to position things.

- Position things in zones, with enough space between objects to allow for shrinkage when the resolution is lower.

- Don't even think about trying to make things fit vertically, or trying to center an object on the screen vertically. It can't be done in a way that works on more than one screen resolution.

- Don't use layers. They are not yet well enough accepted by the various browsers to be useful. Many people can't afford to replace their computers at the hectic Microsoftgreed pace.

- Test the layout's durability by using the restore down button and shrinking the browser window.