Websites with fixed position menus. Opinions?

[geoken]

Can I get some opinions on websites with fixed position menus. From a UI perspective, it seems like a no brainer to have your main navigation element always visible regardless of how far down the page the user has scrolled, but the technique isn't used that frequently.

What are your opinions on these menus. Do you find them use full or annoying.

Here's an example of one for reference;
http://blog.pixelbreaker.com/

[danielrmt]

It is OK if the header is small.

[hessiess]

It does waste screen space(too big), though it would save scrolling to the top of a long page just to use the navigation. CSS fixed elements don't work in IE6 and possibly 7 also.

[geoken]

It does waste screen space(too big), though it would save scrolling to the top of a long page just to use the navigation. CSS fixed elements don't work in IE6 and possibly 7 also.

I know it doesn't work in 6 but I think it's OK in 7. It also doesn't work in some mobile browsers (ie. mobile safari) as they render the whole page.

I don't consider that a big deal because there's good fallback, namely; the page acts exactly how it would if the content wasn't fixed.

[Sand & Mercury]

They can have their place but 9/10 of the time they're annoying wastes of screen real-estate. Look at the menu on the site you mentioned for example; so much of that is nothing but blank space. It'd look just as good and work much better if it were just at the top of the page.

I noticed fixed elements have trouble scrolling too, in pretty much any browser.

[radovic]

I personally liked the fixed menu. The only problem is, that it is a bit too big. It would be nice if that "menu" was smaller, let's say as big as one or maximum two lines of text.

[geoken]

I noticed fixed elements have trouble scrolling too, in pretty much any browser.

I think you may be getting mixed up with javascript based fixed menus. The javascript menus have a tendency 'jump' down rather than stay in the same position. They can also sometimes make scrolling feel laggy.

[geoken]

For the record I was only using that menu as an example of the technique. I also think that it's too big (be it fixed or not).