Competitive Edge
We get quite a few replies to our posts, which contain anti-CSS rhetoric (and we're almost positive we'll get some with this article) from people who seem to believe that tables are still useful and acceptable for designing and assembling websites. An interesting observation is that the majority of the time, these table-loving comments come from web designers and web developers who are still using tables to build their websites. This illustrates an important point: some people do not want CSS to replace tables simply because they don't want to have to learn something new, are afraid of change, make a living using table-based designs or [INSERT another poor excuse here]. If, by chance, you are a web designer who is making a living off of table-based designs, you shouldn't worry too much. All you need to do is learn CSS - it isn't that hard, seriously!
If you've read the majority of these pages, then chances are you will agree that CSS has some very clear advantages over table-based designs. Perhaps this is the reason why more and more web design companies are transitioning to CSS-based designs and leaving tables where they should be - in spreadsheet documents. Perhaps that is why more and more web businesses and web startups are looking for designers proficient in XHTML and CSS-based design. CSS is just plain better (yea, we're biased, so what!).
If you design websites for a living or are studying web design in school or on your own, increase your competitive edge and learn the current technology that is powering web design - CSS. Although booting up an application such a Dreamweaver and creating a table-based layout is quick and painless, you're not really learning anything by letting the program do most of the work for you. Not just that, but you're missing out on all of the goodness that comes with CSS (not to mention you're cheating yourself or your clients by using outdated website technology).