Re: noted in NSN4

I wrote regarding Netscape Navigator 4.01:

> Unless margin-left is explicitly set to a non-zero value on Hn
> (heading) elements, vertical margins can't be set properly.

Someone just pointed out to me that this isn't the only 'fix'. In fact
there isn't any fix for this proverbial piece. I since discovered that
practically any change to the CSS1 markup changes the way vertical
margins are rendered. Take out the marginless DIV in my latest example
and the headings 'spread out' vertically. Take out the explicit 1px
left margin and they 'spread out' astronomically. And there seems to be
no way to get rid of a substantial vertical margin between headings and
paragraphs short of applying a negative margin that will overlap
elements in a truly CSS1-capable browser.

The interdepencies in this product are mind-boggling. In haste I
declared BODY color: #0;, and saw all horizontal margins revert to
default, the default font size reduced, and the font-family change.

Oh, and I must say something about the way style doesn't apply to table
elements: THHPPPPT! Most authors concerned with presentation have
table-filled pages, and many authoring products promote such 'styling'.
Pity those authors when they write their first CSS1 stylesheet only to
find out Netscape has declared tables unstylish.

Truly this CSS1 implementation gives new meaning to the terms
'inelegant' and 'unrobust'.

That said, adding a tiny left margin can help in some situations. But
there's still a lot of suffering to be had by authors hoping for a bit
more cross-product presentational consistency without tortuous hacks. 

David Perrell

Received on Sunday, 20 July 1997 00:05:07 UTC