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Caveats for HTML and CSS Development
Rules are made to be broken
When writing HTML and CSS guidelines or merely using the words “this is the correct way to do x,” one invites criticism and at the very least - questions. The guidelines to follow over the coming weeks do constitute a set of rules for most developers to follow, but they will never encompass all situations nor be absolute. HTML, CSS, and browsers are far from perfect, and as new pitfalls (and opportunities) are encountered, we will adjust these guidelines to fit. What they do represent is a series of best practices that can be used as a basis for most to ensure their code will be flexible, maintainable, and easily understood by others. Some rules will need to be broken, and some may not always be optimal for all situations, but if you stick to most of the guidelines included, you will find yourself in a much easier position to adapt and respond.
Times they are a changin’
For the most part, front-end development is immature. Web 2.0, Ajax, and standards-based development have ushered in new awareness, research, and attention to conventions, best-practices, and performance. But, we are ALL still learning. This is particularly true in a world where legacy browsers (that’s you IE6) are still occupying slices of pie in statistics reports alongside Firefox 3.5, IE8, and Safari 4. As we learn more ways to improve efficiency and reliability in building our websites, we will adapt these guidelines accordingly. In the meantime, we will try to encourage practices in frontend development that will allow us to react quickly, respond to new standards, and adopt newer techniques as they are developed. These guidelines will help stop us from pidgeon-holing ourselves into a legacy experience that is inflexible, poor performing, or simply dated.
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