[boost] Re: [website] Fluid layout.

From: Boris (boris_at_[hidden])
Date: 2005-04-11 04:19:44

Joel wrote:
> Boris wrote:
>> Rene Rivera wrote:
>>
>>> OK I've done more changes/improvements. It's now a fluid layout.
>>> Since no one except Dave had suggestions on what to I went with his
>>> idea of two (mostly equal) columns. In this case the left is fluid
>>> the right is fixed.
>>>
>>> I also removed everything except the latest release information. For
>>> the simple reason that more than that make the page unnecessarily
>>> long. After all anything older than the latest version isn't "Latest
>>> News".
>>> http://redshift-software.com/~grafik/boost/index.htm
>>
>>
>> I just glanced at the layout and strongly suggest to move the
>> navigation bar to the left side. The webpage is adhering to W3C
>> standards and should follow usability standards, too. At least I
>> don't know many websites with a right-handed navigation bar?
>
> I like it at the right. I don't see any reason why it can't be in
> the right. Could you give us a link to a W3C reference that says
> navigation bars should be in the left?

While I don't know of any clear recommendation to put a navigation bar not 
on the right side in my opinion it violates Jakob Nielsen's rule "Do the 
same as everyone else" (see #10 of "Ten Good Deeds in Web Design" at 
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/991003.html). There have been some links 
posted to websites that have the navigation on the right side. However I 
would rather follow the mainstream. Look at all the explorer-style windows 
in your operating system: Navigation is always on the top and on the left. 
If you really want to make an exception and put the navigation bar on the 
right side you need a strong reason to come up with something unusual.

Boris