I think it really has more to do with the fact that it was originally only designed with print flow in mind. Like laying out a magazine with columnar text. Whe

I think it really has more to do with the fact that it was originally only designed with print flow in mind. Like laying out a magazine with columnar text. When it was initially designed there was an expectation that structural layout would happen outside of it and then you'd flow your text and other inline/block objects within that. Most everything since then has just been about trying to get css back to the structural flexibility people had in 1996 with tables, while still trying to keep the flow flexibility css brought (and then, as you say, adding on media-type flexibility). It's not a surprise this turned out ugly.