I construct sites using a combination of server side templating and CSS to separate content from formatting: all navigation and extraneous page content goes into the template, in whatever method is cleanest and easiest (most often in tables and CSS), and actual page content goes in clean, table free. I think this is a healthy compromise, until CSS display options become a little more user friendly.

Tables aren't designed for "Grids" they're designed for "Data". There's a huge difference between the two. And using XHTML is kind of a basis saying "I know how HTML elements work" which is why I'm bringing this up.

There's a reason you use a list (`

`) rather then using
for each element, even if it isnt styled to look like a list.

There's also a reason we use css designs over tables, and it has nothing to do with the users perspective. It's designed for bandwidth optimization as well as search engine optimization.

I took a table based design, and cut its size by 75%. This website is ranked ~2500 in Alexa. Take for example: They average lets just say 100,000 unique hits a day. We're going to say each unique hit doesnt have a cached version of the website yet. Say the main page is 35k with tables, and 10k without tables. 35kb * 100,000… per day. You add it up and CSS saves you a good chunk of money over time, for the small cost it takes to implement it.

But then again, this is inappropriate use of margins: they weren't designed to with this kind of overlapping in mind.

As for the example, it was just an example. If you prefer a more complex one:

<table>
<tr>
<td colspan="4"></td>
<td rowspan="5"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td rowspan="2"></td>
<td></td>
<td></td>
<td rowspan="3"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="3"></td>
</tr>
</table>

Yes! Of course! You _are_ right. I'm aware you _can_ do something similar to this easy yet untypical layout in CSS. There's _always_ a way to do things with CSS.

Nonetheless, the purpose of a table, or grid, is to display data in a tabular, well aligned way. Tables align things without hassle by default. Using pure CSS when a simple table could do is like programming in Fuckfuck. ;)

Moreover, and quite frankly, users really don't care a damn if it's tables or CSS. Just as long as it works.

blah

That is complete nonsense there.. that's not how you would use CSS. Using that as an example just means you haven't fully looked over how style sheets are used.

Example table code for something where you just want 2 elements, one right aligned, the other left:

VS

The first word in CSS is Cascading, its very important. CSS does *NOT* mean use DIV's for everything.

So you're code, making CSS look like complete nonsense by specifying a DIV for every item, is complete nonsense.