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Any introduction to HTML/CSS really should explain the fact that when these technologies were created, they were solely meant to render documents online. It was basically created to be like a Microsoft Word but for files on another person's computer. So most of the early properties (like float) were for typographic layout.


It is, after all, HyperText Markup Language. The modern app-based web is incredibly far out of scope of the initial vision of “text documents that link to other text documents.”

CSS and HTML are loaded with legacy warts that can never be removed without breaking backward compatibility.


Old HTML/CSS might be out of scope for a modern web app but I’m pretty sure if you were to write a layout engine from scratch today, it wouldn’t look any different from modern HTML/CSS

Honestly layouting an app in code just looks like HTML/CSS but with functions.


Modern devs should hand-write as much CSS as they do Assembly code.


Yes, people are very happy with CSS and never tried replacing with anything. /s


Float is still relevant.

For example if you have some text that must flow around an image that is placed in a corner.


I think the parent comment agrees with you. It’s the use of float to, for example, position menus on the page which is no longer relevant.


> It was basically created to be like a Microsoft Word but for files on another person's computer

Or like WriteNow, even.




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