[darsham]

I don't really agree with this critique. HTML defines the structure and content, CSS defines the style and appearance, and JS defines the behavior. The model is clear and even somewhat elegant.

Yes there is overlap, that is inevitable. Yes, you can always make it ugly and there are old vestigial features that you probably shouldn't use. These standards have a long, complicated history, but the end result is surprisingly consistent.

The different layouts in CSS (inline, block...) are powerful tools once you get used to them. They solve the problem of reconciling different layout models that are useful in different situations. And that's one hell of a problem that won't go away, even in alternate utopias. In fact most of the complaints here are just about practical solutions to inevitable problems.