CSS Chaos from HTML Order

I watched a very interesting programme on the BBC the other day called The Secret Life of Chaos.

What struck me was how seemingly simple systems can generate huge and unpredictable complexity. This reminded me of Cascading Style Sheets. CSS is inherently very simple but it can become vast and unwieldy with unexpected results in a very short space of time (Managing your CSS is key to keeping this under control but that's another blog entry). You can also create complex CSS that does the job magnificently (just take a stroll around the CSS Zen Garden to see what can be achieved.

But the glue that keeps all this marvellously spectacular CSS together? Simple, well-ordered HTML. Without well-ordered HTML, we are nothing. Well, more precisely, we're in a pickle if we want to create complex yet consistent CSS.

Don't believe me? Just view The Source of the CSS Zen Garden and feast your HTML loving eyes.