What should I use as my website's dimentions? ?

[waytovietnam]

I'm creating a CSS- based website and need some help with the graphics. I'm essentially making the website with photoshop and using css code to stich the images together to create a web layout. First of all, is this safe practice (ie a good way to design websites). And consequently, what size should I be designing for? There's no way to real-time scale images, that means i have to have a static background? How will it work with most people's screens?

 

[weblord]

learn also downward compatibility before i design using resolution of 800 now make it 1024x768