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See my other post (Ultimate 2 columns' requirements) for my detailed reasoning, but there are times when CSS simply just doesn't (=can't without hacks) get the job done.
Is that shortcoming of CSS or just browsers? What do you call hacks? Is "faux columns" technique a hack? <...>
Nothing worn and pointless about it, it is a regular occurrence within web site design that you want or need to be able to do this. CSS is not yet able to do this. Maybe when all table elements within CSS are fully implemented it will be.
So is this "CSS not able", or IE? I am nitpicking on this, because I feel it is important to make this distinction. And it will be easier to remove hack (which are far less necessary than some think) from your single CSS file when that browser catches up, than clean up you multiple html pages (or templates) from tables. <...>
""It has been said that CSS layouts are more search engine friendly and are leaner and quicker to download...it is not necessarily the case - table layouts with external style sheets for styling can be just as lean as CSS only layouts""
They can be lean, that's true, but I don't remember seeing much of these. As for "just as lean" – I'd argue this is not true. <...>
Why should someone that uses a table for layout purposes, when appropriate, not have validation or respect from their peers, or be looked down upon as incapable, old fashioned etc?
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I have read somewhere that one of the original mentioned uses of tables in some old HTML spec *was* layout. Can anyone verify this?
So it _is_ old-fashioned? <...> I am not that allergic for table layouts, and I agree that there _may_ be cases where table layout is appropriate – but I just don't see that. Either site uses zero tables for layout, or tens and hundreds. And "appropriateness" is such a gray area... Regards, Rimantas -- http://rimantas.com/ ****************************************************** The discussion list for http://webstandardsgroup.org/ See http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm for some hints on posting to the list & getting help ******************************************************