Re: CSS replacing tables for format

----- Original Message -----
From: "David Jones" <dvjones(at)ksbe.edu>
To: "HWG Techniques Email List" <hwg-techniques(at)hwg.org>
Sent: Tuesday, April 23, 2002 10:11 PM
Subject: Re: CSS replacing tables for format
>
> Tables are not deprecated - just the use of them as
> general-purpose layout devices. W3C wants to drag
> tables back to what they were originally supposed to be
> for - displaying tabular data - not to sub for HTML's lack
> of layout features like newspaper columns.

It's an admirable goal, but as we've seen, the use of CSS as a replacement
for tables is not realistic just yet in terms of cross-browser
compatibility.    I've been around long enough to have witnessed how older
browsers couldn't even adequately support HTML tables...and now that most
can, the W3C is changing one of the most stable aspects of site
structure...I suppose in time CSS formatting will become more stable and
consistent cross-browser...but by then there will likely be Super-CSS++ (tm)
or who knows what else to stir the pot once again.

There seems to be this belief that once we get these so-called "standards"
in place, all the browsers will be designed to exact W3C
specifications...yet that's an unrealistic ideal.   Microsoft, Netscape,
Mosaic, etc. are vying for customer attention and so each designs something
unique to make their product stand out (usually in the form of
browser-specific tags or other "features").  So long as that's the case, I
don't see how this ideal of total uniformity is possible;  I hope it is.

HWG hwg-techniques mailing list archives, maintained by Webmasters @ IWA