First principles is far from the best approach to learning. Learning is a means to an end: we learn to use tools so that we can use them. If a tool is built in

First principles is far from the best approach to learning. Learning is a means to an end: we learn to use tools so that we can use them. If a tool is built in such a way that I don’t need to understand the underlying technology then that’s a good thing, because it means I can gain value from the tool faster. I, personally, started writing HTML and CSS long before any of the tools we are discussing existed, CSS Zen Garden was state of the art back when I was learning… and nowadays I am very thankful that I don’t need to keep all of the esoteric aspects of CSS in my head when styling my HTML. The most effective method for learning is the method that keeps the learner interested, and for most people, that’s the method that gets them to results the quickest. If you want to start learning how to make webpages by doing a deep dive on the DOM and WebKit, great, but that’s not the path for most people.