[whatwg] [web-apps] Some comments

Ian Hickson ian at hixie.ch
Fri Nov 12 04:47:59 PST 2004


On Fri, 12 Nov 2004, Jim Ley wrote:
> On Fri, 12 Nov 2004 11:42:18 +0000 (UTC), Ian Hickson <ian at hixie.ch> wrote:
> > On Fri, 12 Nov 2004, Jim Ley wrote:
> > > > Sure. A JS-driven calculator, for instance.
> > >
> > > So why are you claiming CSS is not content (a map with CSS positioned
> > > points of interest on top is an example of one of those.)
> > 
> > A map with CSS positioned points of interest is semantically meaningless,
> > unless the relationship between the map and the points of interest is
> > given in the markup itself somehow.
> 
> Which is the exact same situation as with javascript calculator.  It's
> completely semantically empty unless you do it in the markup too. 
> javascript is just as optional as CSS if correctly used, an example of
> an incorrect use of either does not disqualify that point.

What gives you the idea that JS is optional?


> > If you use CSS to position things to convey meaning that otherwise 
> > would not be in the content, you are doing no better than using <font> 
> > instead of <h1>.
> 
> Ditto use of <SCRIPT> rather <X>

I don't understand what you base this on.

CSS is designed to be optional and out of band. JS is inline by design. 
The styling is designed to be media- and user-specific, adding 
presentational hints; the scripting is designed to be an integral part of 
the semantics of the document.

(Currently, presentational script is also inline, unfortunately, 
preventing the use of systems such as alternate stylesheets and the 
cascade to give users control over the scripted presentational aspects. 
Eventually, XBL2 will allow media- and user-specific scripting that is not 
part of the document's semantics to be hooked in at the presentation layer 
through CSS.)

-- 
Ian Hickson               U+1047E                )\._.,--....,'``.    fL
http://ln.hixie.ch/       U+263A                /,   _.. \   _\  ;`._ ,.
Things that are impossible just take longer.   `._.-(,_..'--(,_..'`-.;.'



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