[brentb]

I also think it's funny that the simple 3-column example that took you 30 minutes to put together has exactly the same shortcomings that are discussed in the original article (for instance, try setting the background color of one of the sidebars or swapping their order in the markup without changing the CSS).

It's true that you can order the markup however you want and write the CSS to make it look right, but the key point is recognizing that (unless you position everything absolutely) there is still no true separation between the markup and the CSS (at least where layout is concerned). If they were truly independent, then it wouldn't matter what order the elements appeared in the markup... the CSS would lead them to render the same way on the screen every time.

It's worth pointing out that there is true independence between the markup and CSS where styling is concerned (and this is where CSS shines). If you style the background, font, opacity, whatever of a particular element and then move that element to a different location within the markup, the element will still look exactly the same (unless the new position in the DOM subjects it to other CSS rules that override the old ones).

I'm rambling a bit here, but all I'm really trying to say is that CSS has its place in the web development toolbox, but old-school tables often have the edge when looking for a layout that just works.

[trapper]

Please everyone read the second paragraph of brents insightful comment.

Another place where tables have the edge: when a new browser version comes out, css layouts are often broken, especially if they rely on hacks.