Compiled code is only as good as the compiler. This is why I favor the side of hand-crafted CSS.
The biggest problem with the code example listed FtA on Geeky Peek is that it showcases HTML tables, which are what tend make HTML most inefficient. CSS and JavaScript can both solve the "table" problem that HTML has been plagued with.
HTML5 and CSS3 both are moving away from this deprecated "table-oriented" formatting, fwiw.
Table-less CSS (e.g. CSS3 specs) cut down on the amount of HTML generation and can basically cut out the bloat. Problem is it takes an artist to write good CSS.
Since "most programmers don't use assembly language" (I don't actually know if this is true; have no reference to cite; am just quoting axod here), it would seem analogous to hundreds of tiny band-aids where one large bandage is needed.
Can you cite some numbers here. Browsers are hugely optimized for displaying tables. They have tables down to a fine art.
I'm completely unqualified to be talking about this, so only to a certain extent do I even feel like I should answer this: I have simple and mere examples of what works on production sites I've prodded and nudged into working.
No tables, pure CSS (design) working w/ PHP (calculating as per SASS/HAML). Not even any JavaScript. Site runs really fast. Even checked on YSlow, it runs quicker than most tabled sites doing the same thing.
I don't have a CS background; everything I've learned has been self-taught. I consider myself more of a CSS "artist" than a real "programmer". So YC News hates me 95 percent of the time, as I've had a hard time melding with the "set-in-stone" terminology people here like to downmod for. However, I do know, intuitively, why and how certain things work why and how they work. Most of the time, I simply prefer the large bandage to the 1000+ small band-aids on browsers. Can work both ways. :)
The biggest problem with the code example listed FtA on Geeky Peek is that it showcases HTML tables, which are what tend make HTML most inefficient. CSS and JavaScript can both solve the "table" problem that HTML has been plagued with.
HTML5 and CSS3 both are moving away from this deprecated "table-oriented" formatting, fwiw.
Table-less CSS (e.g. CSS3 specs) cut down on the amount of HTML generation and can basically cut out the bloat. Problem is it takes an artist to write good CSS.
Since "most programmers don't use assembly language" (I don't actually know if this is true; have no reference to cite; am just quoting axod here), it would seem analogous to hundreds of tiny band-aids where one large bandage is needed.