For some reason, it's fasionable to abort tables even if a good situation exists for their usage. When did this happen? I like tables, and I don't think they should be overlooked.

Most of the time, I create my pages with a huge table holding everything together. Sure, I could fight with DIVs and the annoying difference in their representation on different browsers, but I'd rather not. I'd rather use a big table, and I know my table will appear (almost) the same everywhere, when I do (almost) anything to it.

The reason I say this, is the number of sites I find in my google bounces, advocating DIVs as the way to lay out a site. Sure. If you want to make static pages containing information, they provide a way of some interesting effects, but it's certainly amusing that most of the biggest advocates of whom I've read code have nested their DIVs in a way that would be frankly un-interperatable if they ever want to make a change in something. At least with tables you don't need to practically print out your CSS to be able to read your HTML.

I use DIVs, where it's appropriate, and I use TABLEs, when I know I need tabular layout; and I don't mean restricted row-cell datasheets, but whole pages where I know the top banner should be this big, the sidebanner should be this big, and the middle should be this big. Sometimes, I nest my tables.

Each to his own I suppose, but I don't like this ganging-up on an element, based on the way it is supposed to be used. This is exactly what happened to FRAMEs, and look where they ended up. FRAMEs worked for a purpose, and nothing actually does what a frame does, except rewriting the entire concept, and calling it something else. Fair enough, it's a limited purpose, but now, those who regard themselves as "web-savvy and modern" would (apparently rightfully) scream if they saw one.

I like the idea of the diversity of the Web. I don't like the idea of (widely spoken) rules about how things should or shouldn't be done. I appreciate accessibility standards, but not style standards, or even the idea of "the standard usage of a website".

In conclusion.. whatever. :lol: