Originally Posted by AlienQ

Now more for the read:

The main problem with tableless design is the wide differences that are to be found in browser support. There are considerable differences in implementing a CSS layout for multiple browsers due to bugs and mis-interpretation of the standards by different browser developers. These necessitate a large number of complex hacks and workarounds in the CSS files, and Web pages need to be tested much more carefully on a wider variety of devices than with table-based design, as some of these bugs can render the content illegible on some browsers.

Originally Posted by AlienQ

In addition, CSS support in some older browsers such as Netscape 4 is very incomplete, which can cause major problems if these browsers also need to be targeted.

Conversion to tableless web design has been slow also because of table to layer/css conversion software. HTML editors such as Adobe Dreamweaver can convert tables to layers back and forth. Though this would ease the conversion a little, complications exist in the exactness of the conversion. The centering of tables centers them on the page, but the centering of layers together on different screen resolutions requires some tinkering.

Originally Posted by AlienQ

Just as different browsers may interpret tableless design differently, different web designers implement tableless design with varying methods and degrees of skill. As a result, it can sometimes be difficult to read tableless code as compared to a web page with good use of tables which follow a well defined set of rules.

If a web designer has positioned block elements on a web page using the "float" attribute it isn't always clear how these elements are positioned and what parts of the related CSS file should be edited if adjustments are needed. Adjustments are often needed to widths of block elements in tableless design as browser support is not yet reliable.

Positioning an element on a web page using the "float" attribute encourages the browser to render many pages unintelligible if an error occurs because "float" gives the browser permission to reorganise the web pages by pushing page elements downwards rather than making user friendly adjustments.

There are clear benefits to removing or reducing the use of excess tables on web pages but as a consequence, many web designers are avoiding the use of tables completely. While tables are frowned at in the web design community, they are often the best tool for certain layouts. Often tableless design can offer no benefit at all but require many extra hours of work during website production and maintenance.

Originally Posted by AlienQ

[edit] Alternatives
There are clear advantages to centralizing document mark-up across one or two CSS files. Global edits and simple adjustments are simplified this way. However with the advent of server side languages like PHP and ASP it became possible to centralize CSS and HTML with include files.

Nowadays, most high quality web applications use a presentation layer or templating system which applies HTML and CSS to the application logic in a simple fashion rather than duplicating mark-up language throughout many files in a website.

Web applications using a presentation layers have their CSS files applied to a few HTML documents.


[edit] The use of tables
Because of the term "tableless web design", some have interpreted this design strategy as an unconditional repudiation of all tables in web design. This has caused some to avoid tables even when tables are appropriate. Using divisions to simulate a table for the display of tabular data is as much a design flaw as using tables to simulate a division. Some sources clarify this distinction by using the more specific term "tableless web layout".[1]

Additionally, one distinction is sometimes missed: using tables in web design does not necessarily equate to using the table element (and related elements) defined in HTML 4.0. Although the table element is by far the most common means of specifying tables in web design (both for "layout" and "tabular data") CSS also specifies a "table model" which allows the semantics of "tabular representation" to be applied using other elements as well.[2] One reason this distinction is sometimes overlooked is because of the lack of support for the CSS table model in Internet Explorer.


I know many of you attempt to sell clients on tableless design and the fact is you are doing them a diservice. Cross browser compatibility is incredibly limited especially when concerning older browsers. FDesign I like your stuff but selling tableless design may not be such a good idea for clients, especially tours. I do not know why you would clown my use of a stupid PNG when you yourself have far more issues regarding layout control and cross browser problems using tableless design.