Ron Koster wrote:
> [...] there's often been times when I looked at the person's problem
> and thought, gee, I could resolve that issue EASILY, if only I
> *wasn't* trying to do it exclusively with CSS.
Sure, but we handle/serve such non-CSS solutions on other lists/forums,
since [CSS-D] is mainly about making things work with CSS.
> Interesting. So the thousands of posts that I've seen go by on this
> list, all of which require a solution that involves "hacking and
> witching", are just my imagination?
That we're sometimes hacking old IE to pieces is not "just your
imagination." Not much else we can do for that and other old buggers
that won't fade away, as long as clients insist not only on supporting
them but also that they should "look fresh and pixel-perfect".
Most of what we serve better browsers are pure standard stuff though,
that we sometimes split up and organize in certain ways so they can pick
up what their level of standards-support allows them to. It's known as
"progressive enhancement".
You see: we're all depending on those browsers, and their ability to
deliver is growing somewhat slowly and unevenly. They do however grow
because they're constantly being challenged.
If we all fell back to layout tables and minimal use of CSS, there would
be very little incentive for growth.
The problem is that wishes for "stability" and "progress" tend to clash.
If "stability" is ones only goal then "progress" will suffer. Microsoft
have already tried that - freezing development at IE6 level, and despite
all their attempts to catch up they'll be behind for years and versions
to come. IE7 ended up as a minor stop-gap solution, and IE8 will be 3 to
5 years behind where other browsers are now when it's finally released.
Layout tables will stay at 1998 level for a long time - probably for as
long as HTML is in regular use. Thus, they're stable enough by now and
those who wish can still use them. No progress in doing so though.
regards
Georg
--
http://www.gunlaug.no
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