Re: Key bindings... (user agents - was accesskey was ...)

On 1/11/06, Geoff Deering <geoff@deering.id.au> wrote:
> Orion Adrian wrote:
>
> >Funny. I feel the same way about formatting and layout. I'm wishing
> >for a world where content authors simply write and the browsers do all
> >the layout and formatting. My question is, why doesn't the same
> >philosophy apply towards formatting and layout?
> >
> >
> >
>
> I think there is some middle path intended.  That is why there is
> separation between structure of the document and presentation.  Users
> should also be able to apply their own style sheets (in principle).

The complexities involved in specifying your own stylesheet pretty
much make this impossible. Pretty much your only option is either turn
on stylesheets or turn off stylesheets. Simply look at the number of
designs that break if you changes any of the following properties:

border
margin
padding
float
clear
position
left
right
top
bottom
font
width
height
overflow
display

This inflexibility is due to the fact that many designs work only
because the above properties have been carefully architected to work
together in a particular design. Change the width of a div and things
may totally break. Change the font-size and you may have overflow
problems.

And even if it were possible to make the changes in a generic way that
didn't totally obliterate all designs, it would require such an
advanced knowledge and understanding of CSS that it would be limited
to only the very technically advanced.

In other words, reality strikes again.

--

Orion Adrian

Received on Wednesday, 11 January 2006 20:12:11 UTC