if i use the custom css generator on their webpage i can have a wider width than 960? so isnt the name 960 kind of misleading?
and some persons say that you cant have a flexible grid system (that changes with your browser size) with 960. but you can download a fluid version from the custom css generator. so apparently they didnt know what they were talking about?
would be great if someone could straight these things out.
You can only use the CSS Generator on 960.gs to generate a fluid layout that changes with the browser size.
If you want to limit the max-width to 960px (and still have it fluid), you'll have to set that css-property manually on the outer most div container, like:
max-width: 960px;
Be aware though, that this does not work in ie6.
No the name is not misleading. It is a open source project, and as such, has seen other developers adjust the code to their needs. If you notice, the Custom CSS Generator is not housed on the 960.gs site:
From their footer:
The 960 Grid System is free to use, and may be repurposed to meet your specific needs. Several projects have already spun off, including versions that were built to be fluid and elastic.
I understand your frustration about misleading names. When people told me "Gimp" was for making graphics, I was shocked. I never would have downloaded it!
The primary 960 grid system layout is meant to be used as a 960px wide setup, so that is still the de-facto download. However, it's really just a set of columns, so it's open to be extended and changed, and you can play with it as you see fit. As another posted mentioned, there are links to various derived versions on the main 960.gs page which implement various flexible versions of the grid, however, the main 960.gs is still a firm 960px.