Topic: Align element center on non-css page AND validate strict

[xtian]

The keywords for this search hit too many, so I'm gonna take a risk no one else cares to style their NON-CSS pages.

Its my goal to have a page I'm working on be viewable without CSS or JavaScript enabled. The page really looks best when the elements are aligned to the center of the page. Also, For other reasons, the page needs to be xhtml strict. And there's the rub. strict don't pass this as valid. Is there a way to hide these old html rules to pass the muster?
Chris

[haku]

No. XHTML is a subset of XML, and is a language used for semantically describing content. It is not a markup/presentation language, and is not meant to be so. Centering is purely markup/presentation, and as such it cannot be done in valid XHTML, as that is not what XHTML is meant to do.

[xtian]

And I have no problem with that. In-line html tags such as <font> are depreciated.

This is a problem only when someone turns off CSS. And why is that even possible? Because, browsers allow users to do it.

Which means someone out in the great WWW is using this, for various reasons, and I can't ignore that.

When is it going to hurt me if I use <font color="####">?
Chris

[haku]

Then your only option is to use invalid code. For that one in 100 000 users who will have CSS turned off for whatever reason.

[xtian]

Out of the last five companies to make the cut for the Fortune 1000, 2010, three use either align property for a tag and or font tag. Again, and I'm just wondering, where is the line between evangelism and practice?

[haku]

Wherever you want to set it.

It really depends on how important having valid code is to you. It's more important to some people than others.

Good semantic code however helps with SEO - Fortune 500 companies generally don't have to worry to much about SEO, people are going to find them one way or another. Same reason google's code is invalid and doesn't even use a doctype.

[xtian]

It really depends on how important having valid code is to you.

That's what I'm trying to figure out. And, I'm not hearing any crippling downsides for commercial web pages and certainly not seeing it in the examples I'm looking at.

Chris
PS. Funny about google. lol

[haku]

Personally, I use valid code as a selling point for my services. So for me, it's quite important. Catering to that one in 100 000 people who has CSS turned off means absolutely nothing to me - anyone looking at sites with CSS turned off is used to seeing sites that look messed up already. So I don't use deprecated tags. I'm a strong believer in separating content, markup and effects (javascript). But that's me. To each their own - if you want to use deprecated tags, and in doing so you don't hurt yourself in some other way, then go ahead! The world won't end as a result 

As much as design pays my bills, there is a lot more stuff to worry about in the world than using a deprecated tag here or there.

[xtian]

I understand your opinion now. I think it over states my focus. I had hoped my examples would be followed by others who wish to contribute other ball and chain depreciated tags...