Question

HTML and CSS are showing their age.

SASS generates CSS (because CSS isn’t clean enough). Graphic Designers don’t work in HTML, they work in graphics tools then have to translate it to HTML/CSS. JavaScript has to have abstractions like jQuery, and CSS has a bunch of hacks to even start approaching consistent predictable user experience.

It feels like people are doing some wonderful things despite the technologies, not because of them.

Surely there is a better way?!? Something more closely aligned with the task at hand.. of providing a fluid intuitive (consistent) user experience to let users achieve their goals.

Thoughts?

Answer 1

Graphic Designers don’t work in HTML

DTP designers don’t produce paper and ink either. Design something and produce something, these are separable tasks – when you have an idea for a tv spot you still need lots of technology between your creativeness and the result, the same applies for the web.

Javascript has to have abstractions like JQuery, and CSS has a bunch of hacks to even start approaching consistent predictable user experience.

Oh man, js doesn’t has to have, developers simply like to make their job easier, this rule applies to various programming languages, it’s like saying python has to have django. Frameworks and libraries are over the language, they are not a must. CSS ‘has a bunch of hacks’ because some browser producers don’t give a damn about something called ‘standards’, not because the language is badly designed.

Surely there is a better way?!? Something more closely aligned with the task at hand.. of providing a fluid intuitive (consistent) user experience to let users achieve their goals.

What user experience is not provided with html,css,js? I really don’t get your point, and what you expect from the Web. Oh, and if you are like ‘you know, you need flash for something or whatever’, start getting interested in canvas.