deprecated elements in HTML 4.0 -Reply

[Thomas Dowling]

> From: Library Internet Resources Co-ordinator <webguru at gtu.edu>
> To: Multiple recipients of list <web4lib at library.berkeley.edu>
> Subject: Re: deprecated elements in HTML 4.0 -Reply
> Date: Monday, August 04, 1997 2:13 PM
> 
> At 12:11 PM -0700 8/1/97, Dan Lester wrote:
> >We're not planning to implement style sheets until MS and
> >NS get their collective acts together. ...
> >Even that doesn't help those who have older tools,
> >but we can never satisfy ALL of the potential users.
> 
> Or those of us who don't use their browsers.
> 
> This underscores the importance of sticking to standards even if one
> company has a cool effect that only their browser displays.
> 

Just so everyone's clear, CSS *is* a standard; see
http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-CSS1   Rather than being a "cool effect" hack from
the gang who gave us <BLINK> (or <MARQUEE> depending on whom you prefer to
disparage), it's the work of HTML and SGML developers who have been trying
to call attention to a better way to do it since <CENTER> was first
released on an unsuspecting world.  Netscape, in particular, has shown only
half-hearted support for CSS (Microsoft's support appears to be more
incompetent than disinterested, but they have a track record of ironing out
their own incompetencies and are already on their second version of CSS
support).

Let me reiterate this for people considering using stylesheets; the effect
of a non-instrusive stylesheet is invisible to browsers that don't support
them.  As I posted before, it is certainly possible to abuse them in
pursuit of cool effects, but that pursuit is ultimately frustrated on the
web, whatever its vehicle.

Compare and contrast:

<p style="margin-left: 2.5cm">This is a paragraph, regardless of what
browser you're using.  If your browser understands CSS, it will be indented
2.5 centimeters.  If your browser does not understand the style attribute,
it is required to ignore it.</p>

\\\\\\\\\\\\\

<ul>
<ul>
This is...something that Netscape Composer might cough up.  It might be a
paragraph, or a list item, and it might be indented some amount, though
neither of us knows exactly how much, and it might or might not have a
bullet in front of it...
</ul>
</ul>

\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Thomas Dowling
Ohio Library and Information Network
tdowling at ohiolink.edu