I stumbled an interesting write-up about top websites that are still using tables. No, the commentaries are not that interesting (using tables doesn’t mean that these websites are not adhering to the design trend), but the writer’s effort must be commended.

It’s nice to see which big-guns are adopting CSS to the max. But more importantly, it’s nice too see a flaming discussion there and another one here between tables and css proponents.

If you dig through the comments, there are several reasonable inputs regarding why you should still consider using tables for your layout structure. However, these comments below carry none of them:

Taking The Easy Way Around

Anyone who’s ever had to do a truly complicated layout on a website, knows that tables are a necessary evil.

If the boss doesn’t care how it gets done, as long as it gets done, and you have a deadline, and tables work consistently across browsers with no hard tweaks, so you use tables, get your work done before 5 PM so you can go home and enjoy the life outside of work…

Regardless I personally prefer tables, as I’m a programmer not a designer, they’re easier to work with for us than CSS.

Without tables i’d keep kicking my coffee over…

We’ve been webdesigning for about 7 years now, and I don’t what is the problem with tables. Easier to manipulate, faster to put out.

Being Ignorant

Who cares! If it works, who cares! Your CSS fanboi’s really need to spend more time making your sites look less cookie cutter web 2.0 and actually start making them useful.

Safe and reliable…always….why go with new conventions or at least the more common convention if good old faithful puts out?

Customers don’t care if it’s CSS or tables.

As long as it gets the job done… Google breaks a lot of other standards, but hey, as long as it gets rendered in the browser properly…

Honestly. Who. Gives. A. Shit.

If the website works well, like google.com, who cares how it works underneath?…I think someone needs to step outside, the average net user doesn’t even know what CSS is and they don’t need to, it doesn’t matter.

Well guess what, I have 150+ clients and I use tables on ALL their websites..

*******

Personally, of course I’m all with CSS, but until consistent CSS rendering is applied across all browsers (damn IE!), table is always a great temptation. If you read through the comments there, you’ll understand why.

However the comments above doesn’t echo the same perspective, and thus reflect poorly on their professional standard, their desire to give the best on each project, their awareness towards the evolving web standards and their concern about simplifying their project for their client’s further use.

Think of your client. And your future.

Seriously, I’d understand if people still using tables for fear of cross-compatibility issues. But using it because you want the easier and quicker way out will be very unfair to your clients. Of course they don’t give a damn. Chances are you can just give a full image-page for their website, and they will still be happy.

But semantics matter. And file size too. So does the client, in fact, if they decided to alter the design themselves.

And standing by your table repeating ‘as long as it work!’ ? Of course it will work (and I think always will), but then you can still save some money buying old VW Beetle - and pay the hefty cost for maintenances. On the other hand, you’ll spend more bucks on a new Honda, but chances are you can use it for many, many years to come, hassle-free..

Which CSS will play a greater role by then. Start mastering the CSS now. Or you’ll have a bleak future in web-designing.