Re: CSS replacing tables for format

I believe that the goal is to get the browser manufacturers to support the
W3C Recommendations at a *minimum*, although these companies may actually
add additional, proprietary features on top of that foundation.  We may
still be attempting to take advantage of proprietary plugins and add-ons or
even internal browser features, but it will be over and above the XML
Recommendation.

I've actually been working quite a bit with CSS layouts lately, and it seems
that, if I'm willing to put the time into learning the process, I can get a
reasonably reliable display across IE6, IE5.5, NN6.2, Opera 6 and Mozilla
.9.9 with it.  Obviously, the pages degrade for NN4 or older novelties such
as Mosaic....that's the harder part.  There's a lot to learn, however, and
even some things to unlearn as I try to break free of the habits that years
of rigid table-layout thinking have brainwashed into me.  Still, it's
worthwhile.

For years now, designers have been driving to code multiple versions of
complex DHTML effects to server different browsers with incompatible DOMs.
Using CSS positioning for page layout, even today with support not fully
matures, is much easier than all that DHTML maneuvering ever was...:).

D


----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Taylor" <lonewolf(at)one.net>

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.

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