[thelist] why doth i hate css? let me count the ways.

[Mike Migurski]

>> Since CSS doesn´t offer the tools for creating a good grid, using one
>> table for layout purposes is quite legitimate. Note: ONE simple table,
>> no more. As soon as you use more than one you´re back to old style
>> coding, and that´s indeed something to be avoided.
>
>It's still abuse of tables if you're using one for anything besides
>tabular data. The <table> element isn't a "make a grid command".
>
>As far as CSS "lacking the tools for creating a good grid", I would say
>you either don't know CSS very well or you haven't tried. I've seen many
>multicolumn layouts done with only CSS and no tables.

Multicolumn does not a grid make - the problem that was initially
addressed in this thread was the ability to specify grids on the x /and/ y
dimensions. CSS can do the former, but it can't do the latter. It was not
designed to, except in the case of absolute or fixed positioning, which
still don't address the expansion and contraction of content. Therefore,
tables are the only reliable way to accomplish this layout task. Of
course, the elegant/proper way to overcome this limitation is not /not/
design things that require a flexible vertical grid to begin with
(awareness of the limitations of the medium) but we're only a scant five
years into destroying five centuries of good, standard design practice.
Give it time.

-mike, interweb guy. ;)

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