HTML is a wonderful thing. It conveys structure; CSS conveys presentation, but can be overriden at user's wish. Your browser should have a zoom function. Your browser should have a CSS override function. Your browser should have a "readability" function.

But a user should not be forced into using any of those things.

imo, if I have an Apple monitor used by a large number of potential site visitors set at maximum resolution, then the page should at least center the div if you are going to do a fixed width layout, so 1/2 of the right side of the screen isn't a plain otherwise empty blue background. That way at least only 1/4 of the page is empty on both sides, which is less distracting.

Fluid width with adjusting fluid left/right % columns (divs, or table if you must) also works.

A user maximizing his browser on a screen 1680 pixels wide is not a user whose particular aesthetic preferences are worth accommodating.

If you choose to make your browser window wider than a line of text you'd comfortably read, you also can choose to apply any settings that will make sites look more to your liking.

Talk about a first world problem. Who cares how the blueness is distributed in your needlessly maximised browser window?

It bothers you so that you won't even read the blog post, swoon!

I apply a minimalist ethic to all kinds of things, including the amount of effort I put into designing my site ;)