Re: [csswg-drafts] [css-grid-3] Masonry Switch Syntax (#12022)

Hi. Coiner of "Masonry" here. So I'm biased, but ... The spec should use `masonry`.

> it is both not universally understood as a thing nor even a common English word

I would argue the opposite. It's 16 years of existence makes it a conventional term. People know what it means. There's a long history of articles, libraries, and discussions around the term that span well beyond my original library. Using the conventional term, the W3 implementation inherits and builds upon that history.

> It's an analogy, not a description.

True. But it's a layout algorithm, so it's hard to describe in a couple words. If "bubble sort" algorithm were introduced, would that be renamed? I landed on masonry because that's how I saw the algorithm operating. A mason builds up a wall. As they pick their next stone, they find the lowest spot to the ground where the stone can fit.

Names are hard. `masonry` isn't perfect, but it's pretty darn good. There's more to be gained by adopting it than by choosing a replacement.

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Received on Monday, 27 October 2025 23:41:19 UTC