[thelist] Most common screen resolution?

[Janet Green]

I have some questions about screen resolution. Someone told me recently that new computers are automatically set at 1024x768, so when they designed a site at that resolution and asked me to look at it, I commented that I didn't think most people were viewing sites at that resolution (including me) and so might find the horizontal scroll bar annoying... now after talking to my IT manager, who showed me all these Windows settings you can change to alter your resolution AND the size of type on your screen... I'm wondering if I was wrong to criticize the guy for designing at 1024x. So here are my questions:

1. Does anyone have a web statistics site they like to visit to find out what the most commonly used screen resolution is these days for average web surfers, or failing that, do you have an opinion about how likely people are to be viewing at 1024x?
2. How likely are people to change their screen resolution because a particular website says it's "best viewed at" (x)?
3. How likely they are to change all their Windows settings to customize their computer? (I consider myself an above average computer user, but I NEVER mess with the Windows type-size settings. Maybe I'm not so above average after all!!)

A little education, please, on "where we're at" with screen resolution theory these days. Thanks!

Janet