I am working on a data entry application and I am considering using a fluid layout approach ala Swing and Silverlight where the controls resize based on the window size. My question is simple: what feedback if any have you received from users on each of these approaches? Screen size aside, I will still have a vertical scroll in place so I am wondering if I would be best served to simply go the fixed route and absolute position/size content.
Do not go the fixed route. If the user resizes the window, they do so for a reason. The widgets should resize appropriately. I can think of no valid reason to ever use a fixed layout except in vey specialized circumstances.
That being said, don't have a layout where input fields wrap. That would be very disconcerting. Just let your widgets grow and shrink naturally.