I was aware of this, and it was a design tradeoff that I was willing to take (like this controversy "low-lighting" thing).
The big dilemma is always "how to pack a lot of information into a limited space without looking cluttered".
I also tried 980px but that extra 100px does make a big difference (plus considering the "flow" of the text). Therefore I gave up the relatively smaller market of netbooks/11-inches MBAs and go with 1280px screens.
There's always people who don't have large screens (even on desktops) or who don't have their browsers expanded to the size you are looking for. The goal of a website, before any sort of graphic design, is to communicate information to as many people as possible. By making the website difficult to read (or completely impossible in many situations (IE, iOS, etc)), you're alienating people. If you're freelancing, that's definitely not something you want to be doing. You never know who's going to be coming at you with a work offer.
Cross-browser/cross-device compatibility is one of the most tedious things about web design, but if you're trying to drum up business, especially _for_ web design, you need to demonstrate your competence at it. Your portfolio is really the best place to do this. I'll be honest, if I was thinking of hiring a web developer, I'd be put off by your portfolio, because you're putting form before function.
Really appreciate your careful observation.
I was aware of this, and it was a design tradeoff that I was willing to take (like this controversy "low-lighting" thing).
The big dilemma is always "how to pack a lot of information into a limited space without looking cluttered". I also tried 980px but that extra 100px does make a big difference (plus considering the "flow" of the text). Therefore I gave up the relatively smaller market of netbooks/11-inches MBAs and go with 1280px screens.
Thanks,
Ivan