When I design a new website I try to see it on as many different computers as I can. There are many more types of monitors than when I first started this stuff, each with a variation of settings that can change the look of my design. Factor in the differences in web browsers and how they interpret code and my web design becomes more a suggestion than anything consistent among computers. My knowledge of code is basic and I'm too old to learn anything complicated. I decided that no matter what I did I would never have the control over what people saw. Anyone could have half a dozen extra toolbars from Google, Yahoo, and wherever that change the size and shape of the browser window. So I will do the best I can and offer a couple of tips that may help make browsing the Internet easier for some.
 Monitor Resolution Many people pull the new computer out of the box, connect the monitor, keyboard, and mouse and turn it on. If it boots up they are more than satisfied. I doubt there is anyone who knows all the zillions of computer settings that can be modified and customized. The most important is probably the monitor resolution. It will determine how easy it is to see your computer and work with it.
The Monitor resolution is measured by width and height in pixels. I tried to design my site with larger images than I've had in the past and the browser window is set to open at 800 pixels by 900 pixels. If your monitor screen has a resolution setting of 800 x 600 pixels, a page of my site will take up the whole desktop. I normally use a resolution of 1680 x 1050 pixels for myself. The newer monitors usually have pretty high default settings. I wanted to have the images on my site at a comfortable size for the higher settings and yet eliminate the side to side scrolling of the browser window at lower settings. If you have a monitor resolution of 640 x 480 I'm sorry it looks so bad.
 800 x 600 pixel resolution |
 1680 x 1050 pixel resolution |
To change your screen resolution click the START Button | Control Panel | display | and then the Settings Tab. There is a slider under "Screen Resolution" that allows you to change your settings. Generally if you have trouble seeing small icons and text a lower screen resolution will help by making everything bigger. If you usually have several program windows open on your desktop at the same time a higher resolution will make working between them easier.
Toolbars A web browser such as Internet Explorer and Firefox is an assemblage of toolbars and a viewing window for the web page. Additional toolbars from Google,Yahoo, AOL, etc. may be added to the browser. Every toolbar takes space away from the viewing window. What on the browser is it that you really use?
Some browsers such as IE 6 allow you to move toolbars around to take up less space. You can usually remove toolbars by clicking on the View menu, Toolbars and checking or unchecking those toolbars you want to keep. You can also customize the toolbar by adding or removing items while you are there.
The best way to get more viewing space is to open the browser window in full screen mode. You do this in both IE and Firefox with the F11 button on your keyboard. Click it once to go into full screen and again to return to normal view. IE7 and Firefox 3.0 autohide the toolbar while in full screen mode so a web site is displayed on the entire screen. Moving the cursor to the top of the screen brings back the toolbar and F11 brings it back to normal view. You can use the keyboard to move from page to page and do many of the things required of the toolbar while in full screen mode.
Keyboard Shortcuts Here are a few of the more helpful keyboard shortcuts available for IE 7 which will also work for Firefox 3.0 (except CTRL+Q). Open to Full Screen with F11, Zoom to a comfortable size with CTRL+Scroll Wheel, move back and forth between pages with ALT+ the Arrow Keys, between Tabs with CTRL+TAB and turn it all off with ALT+F4. It can be simple with a little practice.
| The Screen |
| F11 | Toggle between full-screen and regular views of the browser window |
| CTRL++ | Zooms Out |
| CTRL+- | Zooms In |
| CTRL+Scroll Wheel | Zooms In and out |
| CTRL+0 | returns to 100% |
| UP ARROW | Scroll toward the beginning of a document |
| DOWN ARROW | Scroll toward the end of a document |
| Moving Back and Forth Between pages |
| ALT+RIGHT ARROW | Go to the next page |
| ALT+LEFT ARROW or BACKSPACE | Go to the previous page |
| SHIFT+Scroll Wheel | Go back and forth through the page history |
| CTRL+P | Print the current page or active frame |
| CTRL+W | Close the current window |
| Working with Tabs |
| CTRL+click | Open links in a new tab in the background |
| CTRL+SHIFT+click | Open links in a new tab in the foreground |
| CTRL+TAB | Switch between tabs |
| CTRL+Q | Toggles Quick Tabs (thumbnail view) on or off |
| ALT+F4 | Closes All Tabs |
Browsers There are a variety of browsers available. You don't need to only use the one that came with your computer. Netscape may be long gone but before disappearing they let their browser become open source where it has developed into Firefox. Opera, developed by some norwegians long ago is still around and wild as ever. Chrome is Google's attempt to make the browser disappear and to focus on the applications and pages users are viewing, rather than on the border with its tools. Apple's browser, developed for the Mac, is Safari which is also available for the PC. Click here to view the sources for a slew of Browsers
Links Here are a few links for more information on Web Browsers.
Firefox Download the latest version of Firefox
Tips and tricks for using it
Internet Explorer 7 Download the latest version of IE 7
New features and tips for using it
Keyboard Shortcuts for IE7
Information and History of Web Browsers
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