Re: [w3ctag/design-reviews] CSS: contain-intrinsic-size: auto, and converting to a shorthand property (#624)

My thoughts while looking at this:

First, this definitely solves a real problem. Indeed, it's quite a hassle if authors need to guess the correct intrinsic size for this property, and it creates a maintenance nightmare when there are a lot of elements whose intrinsic sizes need to be contained. 

On the other hand, CSS has always been this nice reactive language in which things apply and then they stop applying without leaving any side effects behind. Unlike (common) programming languages, there are no ordered steps, the current state is always a function of what currently applies, and there is value in that simplicity. The concept of last remembered size that is introduced here breaks this fundamental assumption, introducing side effects that persist after properties have stopped applying. It introduces state that is not inspectable and has no obvious cause. Is there any other existing CSS feature that produces lasting side effects in that way?
Have other ways to solve this problem been sufficiently explored that do not change the way CSS works so dramatically?

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