[xg15]

I think the problem was that tables were always supposed to be for things that look like actual tables in the output - for that purpose they are not deprecated.

What is discouraged is using tables as invisible layout grids - and that was their primary de-facto usecase before CSS and grid layouts. But that had always been a hack, even though a necessary one.

[leptons]

Tables are probably still useful for layout in HTML emails (for advertising). I haven't had to work with HTML emails in probably 20 years, but I doubt much has changed about what is and isn't allowed in HTML emails.

[euroderf]

> What is discouraged is using tables as invisible layout grids - and that was their primary de-facto usecase before CSS and grid layouts.

After too.

I've seen enough "Introduction to CSS"s filled with caveats and hemming & hawing to know that it's all to be avoided when+if possible. I know, I know, there's a whole wide wonderful world out there full of aligns and borders and containers and insets and margins and masks and offsets and paddings and positions oh my. Bleccch..

[joquarky]

How was it a hack?

Hack implies brittleness. Using tables for layout was just fine for all but the most ideologically pure pedants.

[fortyseven]

Yep. Tables for tabular data are still on the menu.