re: Kirk's idea of "running right up against the edge of the windows."
I actually don't think this is valid at all. If you put a second "box", as it seems we've taken to calling them, inside the page (print or web), then you can't run text right up against the edge of the box, either, even if the box has a two-inch margin from the edge of the page on all sides.
Granted, the space you need to leave might be smaller, but I think that's because the space you need to leave is relative to the total width of the box. That's a more useful comment in favor of boxes when space is cramped, but on Daring Fireball and inessential.com the rule is clearly followed anyway. (Although the crash log is currently messing up inessential.com's nice clean center-column layout.)
Personally, I find both sites like this one and sites like those relatively easy to read; it's the sites that try to cram too much on a page that are the most difficult. Same goes for columns that are too wide or too narrow, or those that are intruded upon by ads. The issue of visible box vs. larger invisible margins is not something I think about much.
by JordyJediknil — May 05
I actually don't think this is valid at all. If you put a second "box", as it seems we've taken to calling them, inside the page (print or web), then you can't run text right up against the edge of the box, either, even if the box has a two-inch margin from the edge of the page on all sides.
Granted, the space you need to leave might be smaller, but I think that's because the space you need to leave is relative to the total width of the box. That's a more useful comment in favor of boxes when space is cramped, but on Daring Fireball and inessential.com the rule is clearly followed anyway. (Although the crash log is currently messing up inessential.com's nice clean center-column layout.)
Personally, I find both sites like this one and sites like those relatively easy to read; it's the sites that try to cram too much on a page that are the most difficult. Same goes for columns that are too wide or too narrow, or those that are intruded upon by ads. The issue of visible box vs. larger invisible margins is not something I think about much.