CSS is unnecessary given a layout language • Hacker News Board

Re: CSS is unnecessary given a layout language

#11

Post by taternuts » Fri, Jul 04, 2014, 1:19 AM UTC

ChrisGaudreau wrote: post #6

I actually like CSS as it is now, and it's getting better ( cough , flexbox). Am I the only one who finds CSS incredibly hard to master, though? I've been writing CSS for years and I still feel like a newbie sometimes, and feel like I'm just tinkering with random attributes until it looks right.

> I've been writing CSS for years and I still feel like a newbie sometimes, and feel like I'm just tinkering with random attributes until it looks right.

This is exactly how I work with CSS too. Not surprisingly, it's my least favorite aspect of web development.

Re: CSS is unnecessary given a layout language

#12

Post by Kequc » Fri, Jul 04, 2014, 1:24 AM UTC

ChrisGaudreau wrote: post #6

I actually like CSS as it is now, and it's getting better ( cough , flexbox). Am I the only one who finds CSS incredibly hard to master, though? I've been writing CSS for years and I still feel like a newbie sometimes, and feel like I'm just tinkering with random attributes until it looks right.

For example. I've just found out about flexbox where up until now I thought I'd finally mastered position relative/absolute and floats in order to get nearly everything that I want.

Re: CSS is unnecessary given a layout language

#13

Post by AdrianRossouw » Fri, Jul 04, 2014, 1:24 AM UTC

That's basically what I consider [1] famo.us to be.

Instead of using css for the layout/positioning, just use javascript directly.

and then build a [2] proper scene graph in javascript.

[1] - http://famo.us/ [2] - http://adnanwahab.com/Render-Tree-Visualization/

Re: CSS is unnecessary given a layout language

#14

Post by Rapzid » Fri, Jul 04, 2014, 1:26 AM UTC

I really like the point about designers learning to program. It got me thinking that eventually many/most professionals may need a basic grasp of programming. Then it dawned on me; why not teach EVERYONE basic programming in school?!

Re: CSS is unnecessary given a layout language

#15

Post by brandonbloom » Fri, Jul 04, 2014, 1:28 AM UTC

general_failure wrote: post #3

saraid216 wrote: post #2

Does anyone think it'd be a good idea for browsers to support more than one toolset? Right now it's just HTML+CSS+JS, no matter what languages people build on top of that assembly. Elm seems like a neat idea, but based on Paul's post, I dislike the fact that it compiles down to CSS. It seems a disingenuous way to present the language. I'd much rather a browser was simply told this was an application/elm or something…

Browsers are struggling to support 1 toolset as-is. Imagine the message of multiple tool sets.

Browsers are only struggling because of how complex the toolset is and how poorly defined the expected results are.

There are plenty of counter-examples with simple standards and multiple implementations of a high degree of quality and interoperability.

Re: CSS is unnecessary given a layout language

#16

Post by benburton » Fri, Jul 04, 2014, 1:31 AM UTC

ChrisGaudreau wrote: post #6

I actually like CSS as it is now, and it's getting better ( cough , flexbox). Am I the only one who finds CSS incredibly hard to master, though? I've been writing CSS for years and I still feel like a newbie sometimes, and feel like I'm just tinkering with random attributes until it looks right.

http://i.imgur.com/Q3cUg29.gif

Re: CSS is unnecessary given a layout language

#17

Post by drcode » Fri, Jul 04, 2014, 1:37 AM UTC

ChrisGaudreau wrote: post #6

I actually like CSS as it is now, and it's getting better ( cough , flexbox). Am I the only one who finds CSS incredibly hard to master, though? I've been writing CSS for years and I still feel like a newbie sometimes, and feel like I'm just tinkering with random attributes until it looks right.

Suppose you want to create the largest possible square div inside the rectangle of another div. Any layout language that can't let me satisfy such a simple and obvious layout constraint is a travesty.

CSS will not let you do this, even with flexbox.

Re: CSS is unnecessary given a layout language

#18

Post by sjtrny » Fri, Jul 04, 2014, 1:38 AM UTC

Rapzid wrote: post #14

I really like the point about designers learning to program. It got me thinking that eventually many/most professionals may need a basic grasp of programming. Then it dawned on me; why not teach EVERYONE basic programming in school?!

What about accounting? Most professionals need a basic grasp of accounting.

Re: CSS is unnecessary given a layout language

#19

Post by ThomPete » Fri, Jul 04, 2014, 1:42 AM UTC

sjtrny wrote: post #18

Rapzid wrote: post #14

I really like the point about designers learning to program. It got me thinking that eventually many/most professionals may need a basic grasp of programming. Then it dawned on me; why not teach EVERYONE basic programming in school?!

What about accounting? Most professionals need a basic grasp of accounting.

Accounting is not a language, programming is. You can create anything with programming.

Thats why it should be taught.

Edit: Care to elaborate why that comment should be downvoted?

Re: CSS is unnecessary given a layout language

#20

Post by colordrops » Fri, Jul 04, 2014, 1:46 AM UTC

benburton wrote: post #16

ChrisGaudreau wrote: post #6

I actually like CSS as it is now, and it's getting better ( cough , flexbox). Am I the only one who finds CSS incredibly hard to master, though? I've been writing CSS for years and I still feel like a newbie sometimes, and feel like I'm just tinkering with random attributes until it looks right.

http://i.imgur.com/Q3cUg29.gif

First meme I've ever seen on hacker news. Please stop.