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SASS is bad because it got addicted. Starts with math, leads to variables, then someone suggests recursion and iteration. Suddenly you've got a really crappy pr

SASS is bad because it got addicted. Starts with math, leads to variables, then someone suggests recursion and iteration. Suddenly you've got a really crappy programming language instead of a useful tool designed to make bullshit easier.

chriseppstein 17y ago
Those aspects of the syntax are not there because you're supposed to use them to design a website. They are they because frameworks need a very basic level of programming in order to build simple abstractions. You're supposed to use selectors, properties, and mixins to design your website. Occasionally, you might see an opportunity to make your own mixins to simplify your site and make your design easier to maintain. When you do, you'll be glad that the mechanisms for abstraction are there for you too, not hidden away from the "designers who have to be protected from code".
- catch23 17y ago
  Well the bad part about Sass is that designers won't work with it. Unless you work on a team of 3 and you've got a programmer that does the CSS, there's no problem, but I think most companies that have 8 or 9 people on staff probably has a full time designer that may or may not like sass. At least with CSS, everyone is speaking the same language. Also, most big websites end up having CSS in other places other than a central location driven by sass. You'll probably end up having some element level css, maybe a few scattered in various jquery plugins, or one-line jquery hacks for modifying css classes or changing colors etc.
  - qhoxie 17y ago
    Anecdotally, that is not true. I work with a reasonably sized team on a large website. We are collaborating with a well-respected design firm and our teams are both using Sass/Compass. Thus far, I would say it has been a great success. Variables, arithmetical, and mixin abstractions make the team integration much smoother. All this, and the learning curve is incredibly small.
    - chriseppstein 17y ago
      That's awesome. I'd love to hear more about this! Could you please blog or send a posting to the compass mailing list describing your experience in greater detail?
  - chriseppstein 17y ago
    > Well the bad part about Sass is that designers won't work with it. Wrong. There are many designers who love sass and they kick some serious ass. Actually, EVERY designer with whom I've sat down with and shown them sass and compass has fallen in love with it. > At least with CSS, everyone is speaking the same language. By this logic every programmer should still be programming in COBOL and FORTRAN. But the reality is that every decade or so, a new language comes along and moves the industry in a new direction. Well guess how old CSS is? CSS is getting serious scrutiny now because there are so many programmers doing front end implementation now. I've used CSS. In fact, I'm great at CSS, but we can do better and be more efficient.
- ThinkWriteMute 17y ago
  I have no problem with SASS's basic concepts but I'm a supporter of using whatever language you feel comfortable with to write web pages. I think HTML blows donkey shit. In this case SASS doesn't need that. Every major and most minor languages can do variables and loops. Wouldn't it be more intelligent to focus on getting SASS as a universal way for programming languages to work with styling instead of making SASS a programming language? At some point you have to stop and think about what's better for the community. A niche programming language that brings very little to the table much less anything done well is not good for the community.

chriseppstein 17y ago

Those aspects of the syntax are not there because you're supposed to use them to design a website. They are they because frameworks need a very basic level of programming in order to build simple abstractions. You're supposed to use selectors, properties, and mixins to design your website. Occasionally, you might see an opportunity to make your own mixins to simplify your site and make your design easier to maintain. When you do, you'll be glad that the mechanisms for abstraction are there for you too, not hidden away from the "designers who have to be protected from code".

catch23 17y ago
Well the bad part about Sass is that designers won't work with it. Unless you work on a team of 3 and you've got a programmer that does the CSS, there's no problem, but I think most companies that have 8 or 9 people on staff probably has a full time designer that may or may not like sass. At least with CSS, everyone is speaking the same language. Also, most big websites end up having CSS in other places other than a central location driven by sass. You'll probably end up having some element level css, maybe a few scattered in various jquery plugins, or one-line jquery hacks for modifying css classes or changing colors etc.
- qhoxie 17y ago
  Anecdotally, that is not true. I work with a reasonably sized team on a large website. We are collaborating with a well-respected design firm and our teams are both using Sass/Compass. Thus far, I would say it has been a great success. Variables, arithmetical, and mixin abstractions make the team integration much smoother. All this, and the learning curve is incredibly small.
  - chriseppstein 17y ago
    That's awesome. I'd love to hear more about this! Could you please blog or send a posting to the compass mailing list describing your experience in greater detail?
- chriseppstein 17y ago
  > Well the bad part about Sass is that designers won't work with it. Wrong. There are many designers who love sass and they kick some serious ass. Actually, EVERY designer with whom I've sat down with and shown them sass and compass has fallen in love with it. > At least with CSS, everyone is speaking the same language. By this logic every programmer should still be programming in COBOL and FORTRAN. But the reality is that every decade or so, a new language comes along and moves the industry in a new direction. Well guess how old CSS is? CSS is getting serious scrutiny now because there are so many programmers doing front end implementation now. I've used CSS. In fact, I'm great at CSS, but we can do better and be more efficient.
ThinkWriteMute 17y ago
I have no problem with SASS's basic concepts but I'm a supporter of using whatever language you feel comfortable with to write web pages. I think HTML blows donkey shit. In this case SASS doesn't need that. Every major and most minor languages can do variables and loops. Wouldn't it be more intelligent to focus on getting SASS as a universal way for programming languages to work with styling instead of making SASS a programming language? At some point you have to stop and think about what's better for the community. A niche programming language that brings very little to the table much less anything done well is not good for the community.