One terrible thing about variable-width sites is that they tend to fall apart when you do a full-page zoom like what is built into ie7 (and I've heard Firefox3). Go to Gmail or Google Reader and hit ctrl+. It rapidly becomes a jumbled mess. Conceptually, I'm not sure how a browser developer can really deal with such a thing either.
I run a sports site, which is the bottom of the technological heap, and only 3% of viewers have 800x600 res or below. Google Analytics provides this data. Use it.
I think presenting a better page to 97% and making 3% side scroll is probably a net win. The guy acts like anyone who has to side scroll will just be unable to use your site, though I'd suspect someone with an 800x600 screen is probably used to it.
I run a sports site, which is the bottom of the technological heap, and only 3% of viewers have 800x600 res or below. Google Analytics provides this data. Use it.
I think presenting a better page to 97% and making 3% side scroll is probably a net win. The guy acts like anyone who has to side scroll will just be unable to use your site, though I'd suspect someone with an 800x600 screen is probably used to it.