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I've almost never touched web development, but as an active HN reader I have at least passing familiarity with almost all the terms used in the article. So, ho

I've almost never touched web development, but as an active HN reader I have at least passing familiarity with almost all the terms used in the article. So, honest question: can a person fully understand how modern HTML/CSS work without diving in the source code of one of the browser engines? Because as a developer, if I was forced to use such a complicated technology, grooming source would be my best guess at making any sense out of it.

anotheryou 9y ago
No dive necessary if you don't get close to performance limits of browsers. Actually looking at how it's meant to be first is the only sane way, because browsers do whatever the fuck they want and you just have to see what happens.
GoToRO 9y ago
As as web developer the most important skill to learn is to let go! You fix it for whatever browsers the client uses and forget about the rest.
- afarrell 9y ago
  I suspect your parent comment isn't talking about browser compatibility. I suspect it is about learning enough CSS/HTML to write up a page for one browser without feeling like [venetian blind gif]. https://imgur.com/gallery/Q3cUg29 https://imgur.com/gallery/Q3cUg29
afarrell 9y ago
http://book.mixu.net/css/ http://book.mixu.net/css/ is a reasonable guide and as a backend dev, I've learned to feel more comfortable with HTML/CSS by reading through it multiple times and making flashcards in a Spaced Repetition app.
TheAceOfHearts 9y ago
Yes. Read the whatwg HTML spec for developers [0]. Understanding ALL of CSS is tricky, because it has a long history. It's also incredibly tricky to understand how it all works together when different display modes are combined. But you don't need to understand ALL the parts in order to build something useful. Just skip over the parts you won't be using. Do you think any of the alternatives are truly much better? [0] https://html.spec.whatwg.org/dev/ https://html.spec.whatwg.org/dev/

anotheryou 9y ago

No dive necessary if you don't get close to performance limits of browsers. Actually looking at how it's meant to be first is the only sane way, because browsers do whatever the fuck they want and you just have to see what happens.

GoToRO 9y ago

As as web developer the most important skill to learn is to let go! You fix it for whatever browsers the client uses and forget about the rest.

afarrell 9y ago
I suspect your parent comment isn't talking about browser compatibility. I suspect it is about learning enough CSS/HTML to write up a page for one browser without feeling like [venetian blind gif]. https://imgur.com/gallery/Q3cUg29 https://imgur.com/gallery/Q3cUg29

afarrell 9y ago

http://book.mixu.net/css/ http://book.mixu.net/css/ is a reasonable guide and as a backend dev, I've learned to feel more comfortable with HTML/CSS by reading through it multiple times and making flashcards in a Spaced Repetition app.

TheAceOfHearts 9y ago

Yes. Read the whatwg HTML spec for developers [0]. Understanding ALL of CSS is tricky, because it has a long history. It's also incredibly tricky to understand how it all works together when different display modes are combined. But you don't need to understand ALL the parts in order to build something useful. Just skip over the parts you won't be using. Do you think any of the alternatives are truly much better? [0] https://html.spec.whatwg.org/dev/ https://html.spec.whatwg.org/dev/