I often handcode UI layouts and animations in C on embedded devices. I also use HTML and CSS a lot.
Sometimes I prefer the raw simplicity of writing your own layout code. You then basically just need X/Y coordinates, anchor points and dimensions of the screen and the elements on them. The rest can be done using simple arithmetic. The good thing about this is that you can do 95% of what people use CSS for, while using a handful of consistent methods. Wbile this to the uninitiated requires some introduction into how to think in a coordinate system, the simplicity can be refreshing.
Meanwhile in CSS you have a organically grown complexity of features where sometimes things that should be simple are hard, often because the elements that should be styled have default attributes with subtle differences which people aren't aware of. Only the minority could tell you the differences between display: inline, block, inline-block, contents, flex, grid, table, rable-column-group, etc. But elements may have them set per default.
I get that it is hard to simplify CSS for reasons of backwards compatibility, but sometimes I wish that instead of adding on top someone had had a long hard think about how to solve the problems elegantly and with consistency instead.
Sometimes I prefer the raw simplicity of writing your own layout code. You then basically just need X/Y coordinates, anchor points and dimensions of the screen and the elements on them. The rest can be done using simple arithmetic. The good thing about this is that you can do 95% of what people use CSS for, while using a handful of consistent methods. Wbile this to the uninitiated requires some introduction into how to think in a coordinate system, the simplicity can be refreshing.
Meanwhile in CSS you have a organically grown complexity of features where sometimes things that should be simple are hard, often because the elements that should be styled have default attributes with subtle differences which people aren't aware of. Only the minority could tell you the differences between display: inline, block, inline-block, contents, flex, grid, table, rable-column-group, etc. But elements may have them set per default.
I get that it is hard to simplify CSS for reasons of backwards compatibility, but sometimes I wish that instead of adding on top someone had had a long hard think about how to solve the problems elegantly and with consistency instead.