From: "Patrick Lauke" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Al, maybe Christian's wording was a bit brusque, but looking at the
facts:
a) the standard clearly states "Tables should not be used purely as a
means to layout document content"
http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/struct/tables.html - this makes the use of
tables for layout pretty much a practice contrary to the standard (I
have been known to call it a "perversion of the standard", myself)
b) this list is for the Web Standards Group
True, from a pragmatic (as in "need to support older browsers") point
of view table based layouts are sometimes a necessary evil, but from a
standards point of view Christian is right, IMHO.
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Here is the full note:
"Tables should not be used purely as a means to layout document
content as this may present problems when rendering to non-visual
media. Additionally, when used with graphics, these tables may force
users to scroll horizontally to view a table designed on a system with
a larger display. To minimize these problems, authors should use style
sheets to control layout rather than tables.Tables should not be used
purely as a means to layout document content as this may present
problems when rendering to non-visual media. Additionally, when used
with graphics, these tables may force users to scroll horizontally to
view a table designed on a system with a larger display. To minimize
these problems, authors should use style sheets to control layout
rather than tables."
I guess your assertion hinges on how one interprets the word "should".
Perhaps I am English-challenged, but I always took "should" to have a
suggestive or advisory connotation, while "shall" or "must" are
obligatory :-)
Once again, I must clarify that I'm not advocating the use of tables
for layout, nor am I saying they are a necessary evil for supporting
old browsers. What I am saying is that they are not the opposite of
CSS.
Al Sparber
PVII
http://www.projectseven.com
"Designing with CSS is sometimes like barreling down a crumbling
mountain road at 90 miles per hour secure in the knowledge that
repairs are scheduled for next Tuesday".
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