Comments on: Learning curves http://www.emotionalmarkup.com/2008/02/27/learning-curves/ Feel the code Fri, 21 Nov 2008 18:00:16 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Ben Buchanan http://www.emotionalmarkup.com/2008/02/27/learning-curves/#comment-23 Ben Buchanan Wed, 27 Feb 2008 22:39:31 +0000 http://www.emotionalmarkup.com/2008/02/27/learning-curves/#comment-23 I learned by trial and error and a lot of web searches. I think the thing many noobs struggle with is actually a total lack of understanding about semantics and structure. Their first CSS layouts are a mess because their markup is a mess. That's why many cranky forum elders the world over reply to CSS questions with a link to the validation report, because they know there's no point trying to bugfix a layout being applied to a totally busted page. Once that's done, it's a matter of understanding the box model, document flow, floats and positioning. After that, the painful bit - learning it all over again for IE6 ;) I keep current by reading blogs. As I said to someone recently: "magazines? Those are like old blogs printed on dead trees, right?" :) Our industry runs on blogs. I learned by trial and error and a lot of web searches.

I think the thing many noobs struggle with is actually a total lack of understanding about semantics and structure. Their first CSS layouts are a mess because their markup is a mess.

That’s why many cranky forum elders the world over reply to CSS questions with a link to the validation report, because they know there’s no point trying to bugfix a layout being applied to a totally busted page.

Once that’s done, it’s a matter of understanding the box model, document flow, floats and positioning. After that, the painful bit - learning it all over again for IE6 ;)

I keep current by reading blogs. As I said to someone recently: “magazines? Those are like old blogs printed on dead trees, right?” :) Our industry runs on blogs.

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