12 Lessons for Those Afraid of CSS and Standards

The cries of frustration I hear from other developers about CSS are only an echo of the ones I made for years. As a result I like to think that I can relate, and I’m writing to convey the most important lessons I’ve learned so far.

Lessons:
1. Everything you know is wrong.. sort of..
2. It’s not going to look exactly the same everywhere unless you’re willing to face some grief..
3. You will be forced to choose between the ideal and the practicable..
4. Perfection is not when there’s nothing to add, but when there’s nothing to take away..
5. Some sites are steaming heaps of edge cases..
6. Longer lead times are inevitable..
7. Coherent and sensible source order is the best of Good Things..
8. Descendant selectors are the beginning and end of genuinely powerful CSS rules..
9. In the real world, stylesheet hacks will get your project across the finish line..
10. Working around rendering bugs is like playing Whack-a-Mole..
11. When you’re drowning in CSS layout problems, make sure of the width and height of the water, float without putting up a struggle, and get clear of the problems..
12. Background images will make the difference between the plain and the tastefully embellished..

Source: A List Apart

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