Sorry, I didn't realize there were people running 22" displays in 800x600 due to sight difficulties on HN.
Still, don't blame web designers. The problem is that current operating systems are not resolution independent. While you can resize a web page in modern web browsers, everything outside the browser window is still too small.
Also, in Safari 4 when I make browser window very small, I still get horizontal scrollbar, and can see the date.
I got a 22" monitor. I went to the eye doctor and got special glasses for working. I use 800 x 600 all the time. For all my work and all my web surfing. Almost all sites work just fine.
I spend $5,000 per year on-line. I'm probably not alone. If your site doesn't work for me, I leave (and take my money and eyeballs, too.)
Like I said before, there are 100 million others in the same boat. Not to mention the increasing use of netbooks and mobile devices.
I used to get upset when people here at hn told me how I, as the customer, had to change to suit the vendor, which goes against everything I've ever learned in business. Not any more. Now I just shake my head at the lessons lost.
If I can increase the conversion rate, or even the amount people are willing to spend, by increasing the resolution and that results in greater revenue that targeting 800x600, then I should do it. This is especially important with web apps. 800x600 can actually hurt the usability of some applications that require a lot of fields/controls.
Please understand this...
I will use what I want, not what the poorly build site forces me to do.
There are 100 million other baby boomers who have increasing difficulty with higher resolutions. Do you want them coming to your site or not?