Levels of HTML, CSS, and Javascript: Part 2. CSS
Your attention is presented to the second part of a series of small notes on the levels of HTML, CSS and Javascript. Today we will talk about CSS. This part is a translation of the passage “Levels of CSS knowledge,” an article that Emil Stenstrom published on his blog on January 11, 2006, where the author tries to identify and characterize the main groups of people using CSS, as well as to understand how to influence these groups from movements for web standards.
These people most likely have not made a single web page in their lives. And if this is not the case, then they used pure HTML, and they hardly knew what they were doing. Comrades like this don't go to the #CSS channel to start learning CSS. They just confused this channel with another, most often with CS: S. No need to worry about these people. Hardly they will manage to blind many sites, thereby causing a lot of harm to our industry.
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Unlike the previous one, representatives of this level have already mastered the basics of HTML. Most likely this happened at least seven years ago, when they were trying to create some simple web site. They use CSS only when they need to do some simple things that HTML simply cannot cope with. For example, remove underlining from links or set line height. And even if they have their own crooked website, he can hardly boast of a huge attendance. From which it can be concluded that there will not be much harm from these people either.
Having played enough with HTML on the first level, these people went further. They mastered the HTML tables and began using them to position the content of the page. From this point on, new methods and approaches are of little interest to them. Yes, they heard that others "use divs to mark up their pages . " One fine day, they even spent several hours trying in vain to understand what the trick was, and, not comprehending the essence, returned to the familiar world of tabular layout, most likely forever. And although many of them know CSS syntax (and sometimes more), they believe that this path is too tortuous and thorny, and the result will not work in all browsers.
Attention! These are dangerous people. Some of them are even webmasters of large corporate sites. Since they have been working in this industry for a long time, many have already reached the level of department heads. It is to these people that it is so important to reach out. If we succeed, it will positively affect the entire industry. If you are a champion of web standards, these people are your primary goal.
Although people from this group still do not use CSS for positioning, they are a little familiar with this technology and have heard many good reviews about it. They already tried to create simple layouts, and some even liked it. The problem here is that something prevents them from moving further. Maybe they have a second-level boss, or their website should look fine in Netscape 4. There can be many reasons.
These people should know that even if CSS does not work everywhere , it’s not the end of the world. Older browsers will still be able to correctly display the content in its pure form. However, it can help you attract a new audience: using CSS can provide a number of advantages in the area of ​​accessibility and usability; the latest browsers will be able to better present the content; and adding new content is likely to simplify (which will lead to more of it and higher quality). Tell this to people from this group. Even if you do not succeed in influencing them, it's okay - they do not make decisions. However, with a positive outcome, the impact that they can have on their bosses will be worth your effort.
It is far from uncommon when representatives of this group use only divs for layout of sites. Each part of the page turns into a div, often with a carefully chosen identifier (such as #toprightredline or even # r5_c7, where “r” means row (row) and “c” - column (column)), and then positioned in an absolute coordinate system ( position: absolute) accurate to the pixel. It looks good and, hell, it is even being tested as XHTML version 1.1 , but they simply ignored most of the advantages of CSS. These pages work awfully with on-screen speakers. The same is true in old browsers: all that the user sees is one big piece of unformatted text. When using bad class names and identifiers, the opportunity to change the layout is lost: if the red line one fine day should turn black, you will have to change all your HTML documents (there may be several hundred of them). Do not call these people idiots or send them on request "css" to Google. They know that everything is fine with their mental abilities, but they learned about CSS just from Google. Better tell them how they can make their sites better. Tell them about the benefits.
Developers of the fourth level make sites of rather low quality. However, the damage is not so great, as they are often susceptible to criticism and open to new ideas. In the end, not so long ago they managed to learn and start using CSS.
After reading many articles and books, talking to like-minded people, and imbued with basic ideas, most developers reach level five. At this level, you are free to use CSS, and you know exactly why this is best done. Some of you are faced with minor problems in the process of creating sites, but very often these problems are not serious. When it comes to the separation of structure and design, you can convincingly justify the benefits of this approach. And finally, you have been working with CSS for a long time to explore all the weaknesses of this technology.
It is not enough for some people to know how and why. These people seek to improve how CSS is used, and write lengthy articles about new ways to use it. They constantly return to the basics of CSS and find a new approach to solving old problems, which often leads to even more lengthy articles. Some actually read the entire CSS specification, and from memory can tell which parts of it are supported by which browser. They serve as role models for beginners and their influence have a positive effect on our entire industry. Many work in the Web Standards Project , and even if you find an error on their website, there is a good reason why it was there. Ask them and they will tell you.
Level 0
CSS? Is this some kind of multiplayer game?
These people most likely have not made a single web page in their lives. And if this is not the case, then they used pure HTML, and they hardly knew what they were doing. Comrades like this don't go to the #CSS channel to start learning CSS. They just confused this channel with another, most often with CS: S. No need to worry about these people. Hardly they will manage to blind many sites, thereby causing a lot of harm to our industry.
')
Level 1
Yes, I sometimes use CSS to remove underlining from links.
Unlike the previous one, representatives of this level have already mastered the basics of HTML. Most likely this happened at least seven years ago, when they were trying to create some simple web site. They use CSS only when they need to do some simple things that HTML simply cannot cope with. For example, remove underlining from links or set line height. And even if they have their own crooked website, he can hardly boast of a huge attendance. From which it can be concluded that there will not be much harm from these people either.
Level 2
Not -e ... I don't like divs. It’s much easier to work with tables.
Having played enough with HTML on the first level, these people went further. They mastered the HTML tables and began using them to position the content of the page. From this point on, new methods and approaches are of little interest to them. Yes, they heard that others "use divs to mark up their pages . " One fine day, they even spent several hours trying in vain to understand what the trick was, and, not comprehending the essence, returned to the familiar world of tabular layout, most likely forever. And although many of them know CSS syntax (and sometimes more), they believe that this path is too tortuous and thorny, and the result will not work in all browsers.
Attention! These are dangerous people. Some of them are even webmasters of large corporate sites. Since they have been working in this industry for a long time, many have already reached the level of department heads. It is to these people that it is so important to reach out. If we succeed, it will positively affect the entire industry. If you are a champion of web standards, these people are your primary goal.
Level 3
Yes, I heard a lot of good things about CSS. But I can't use it, because ...
Although people from this group still do not use CSS for positioning, they are a little familiar with this technology and have heard many good reviews about it. They already tried to create simple layouts, and some even liked it. The problem here is that something prevents them from moving further. Maybe they have a second-level boss, or their website should look fine in Netscape 4. There can be many reasons.
These people should know that even if CSS does not work everywhere , it’s not the end of the world. Older browsers will still be able to correctly display the content in its pure form. However, it can help you attract a new audience: using CSS can provide a number of advantages in the area of ​​accessibility and usability; the latest browsers will be able to better present the content; and adding new content is likely to simplify (which will lead to more of it and higher quality). Tell this to people from this group. Even if you do not succeed in influencing them, it's okay - they do not make decisions. However, with a positive outcome, the impact that they can have on their bosses will be worth your effort.
Level 4
CSS? Well, of course I use divs for layout.
It is far from uncommon when representatives of this group use only divs for layout of sites. Each part of the page turns into a div, often with a carefully chosen identifier (such as #toprightredline or even # r5_c7, where “r” means row (row) and “c” - column (column)), and then positioned in an absolute coordinate system ( position: absolute) accurate to the pixel. It looks good and, hell, it is even being tested as XHTML version 1.1 , but they simply ignored most of the advantages of CSS. These pages work awfully with on-screen speakers. The same is true in old browsers: all that the user sees is one big piece of unformatted text. When using bad class names and identifiers, the opportunity to change the layout is lost: if the red line one fine day should turn black, you will have to change all your HTML documents (there may be several hundred of them). Do not call these people idiots or send them on request "css" to Google. They know that everything is fine with their mental abilities, but they learned about CSS just from Google. Better tell them how they can make their sites better. Tell them about the benefits.
Developers of the fourth level make sites of rather low quality. However, the damage is not so great, as they are often susceptible to criticism and open to new ideas. In the end, not so long ago they managed to learn and start using CSS.
Level 5
I use CSS for design. This is more convenient than table layout, because ...
After reading many articles and books, talking to like-minded people, and imbued with basic ideas, most developers reach level five. At this level, you are free to use CSS, and you know exactly why this is best done. Some of you are faced with minor problems in the process of creating sites, but very often these problems are not serious. When it comes to the separation of structure and design, you can convincingly justify the benefits of this approach. And finally, you have been working with CSS for a long time to explore all the weaknesses of this technology.
Level 6
What version of CSS? Well, of course! And you read my new book about ...
It is not enough for some people to know how and why. These people seek to improve how CSS is used, and write lengthy articles about new ways to use it. They constantly return to the basics of CSS and find a new approach to solving old problems, which often leads to even more lengthy articles. Some actually read the entire CSS specification, and from memory can tell which parts of it are supported by which browser. They serve as role models for beginners and their influence have a positive effect on our entire industry. Many work in the Web Standards Project , and even if you find an error on their website, there is a good reason why it was there. Ask them and they will tell you.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/31479/
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