> i'm using a very generic notion of standards: the
> separation of presentation, structure and behavior.
Agreed: I don't think you could get much more general than that ;)
> if i build a page with tables, in order to change the
> design, i have to go change the mark up everywhere that
> table is. if i use standards, where you use tables only for
> displaying data, and not for layout, then i can change the entire
> appearance of a web site merely by changing one file, the .css
> stylesheet.
In theory, you're a genius; in reality, this almost never happens.
Imagine:
PinHead: Hey, you know that web site we have? Coder: Sure, I love it! It's based on standards! PinHead: Oh, I remember now; that's why it was 6 weeks late, right? Coder: But if you want to change a font or a color, I'm ready! PinHead: Great. Here's the new content and design. See you in 6 weeks!
So: was using a standard worth it?
> it's a lot easier to change #f00 to #f0f on one line,
> than to do that 20 different times on 20 different pages.
If that's all people ask you to change, then I agree.
/jordan