RE: [MACCAWS] Another zeldman quote

> > On commercial work, you may need to use tables, and that doesn't make
> > you a sinner. Web standards are a practical, not a religious matter.
> 
> My intuition says that Zeldman is paving the way for his new book on
> commercial adoption of web standards by trying to soften the stance and
> make transitional standards as acceptable as strict.

good point tony, I certainly think he has a plan with these announcements - 
look how it has us all talking :o)


> Sure, keeping your existing designs without tables is really tough, and
> recreating them with standards compliant code even harder, but who says
> you have to keep your existing design?
> 
> Isn't this an opportunity to look at design afresh?

Couldn't agree more.

This idea of working to css's strengths, not bending it to your will seems a 
hard one to get through to people. That's exactly the mistake we made with 
tables.

Now, can I think of a long-winded and tenuous analogy here?... - ah, ok, how 
about this:


[1] Everyone in the world writes with quill and ink in cursive script.
[2] Herr Guttenburg comes up with the printing press - "Gotten Himmel! Look, 
viz zis new tool you can make pamphlets kvicker and easier and you can re-use 
das type."
[3] Everyone says "Groovy man, but can it print cursive script to look like 
our current pamphlets? Look how pretty they are. We spent ages making them."

Now that's just missing the point of the new tool - overlooking its strengths.

Printed type has many advantages over cursive script, not least its greater 
legibility. And this is similar to what's happening with css.

It's a new tool and the greatest gains can be made with it by re-thinking, not 
just replacing old designs pixel for pixel.


Was that tenuous enough? I think so :o)


Cheerio - dunstan

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