Question

How slow is the * css selector on mobile browsers?

Ive heard that it should’t be used for speed reasons. However im mobile optimizing a site and I cant change the source code much at this point. I need to set float:none, width:auto, height:auto, position:static for a lot of elements. If I dont use * my selector list is going to get very long.

Answer 1

There was a study out where this was tested. I no longer have the link but, suffice to say, it slows things down for all the reasons you probably know (every element needs to be evaluated).

As you may also already know, the different resets around choose and set only those elements that need ‘resetting’. Some people, like myself, just set the elements to what we want them to be rather than a wholesale change.

Of course, like all things, testing it yourself is probably the best way.