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Why does google use table-based layouts?

Discussion in 'HTML & Website Design' started by tarponkeith, Dec 15, 2008.

  1. #1
    For example,
    http://www.google.com/corporate/tech.html uses tables instead of a "tableless layout"...

    I always thought that semantic mark-up helped SERPs...?

    Is this an example of "do as I say, not as I do", or is css-design just highly over-rated?

    Looking forward to hearing some opinions on this :)
     
    tarponkeith, Dec 15, 2008 IP
  2. iboltmedia

    iboltmedia Peon

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    #2
    Wow good point, never noticed that.

    Pages like this were maybe created quite a long time ago before table-less designs were seen as so important and google just haven't updated them yet?

    Seems odd although they use divs and css on the majority of their site...
     
    iboltmedia, Dec 20, 2008 IP
    tarponkeith likes this.
  3. ExtremeData

    ExtremeData Well-Known Member

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    #3
    I think semantic mark-up help small websites to be indexed not Google or other large websites.
    To use tables is not incorrect.
    Do you make websites are for people or for search engines ?
     
    ExtremeData, Dec 20, 2008 IP
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  4. Yesideez

    Yesideez Peon

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    #4
    Creatng a website using no tables is not wrong and not right - down to indivual preference.

    There are times when tables are the easiest option.

    I don't use CSS for formatting - never have and I doubt I will. CSS sites are fine if you want to stay with the times and get worried about what others say or think but at the end of the day there's absolutely no reason why you shouldn't use tables.

    As far as I'm aware tables and CSS offer no advantage or disadvantage to search engines as everything is indexed perfectly fine.

    Don't get me wrong - I do use CSS and often but not for the layout like a box here or a box there.

    There are some things you can do with CSS and not tables - CSS is a lot more flexible but I've not come across anything I couldn't do with tables.
     
    Yesideez, Dec 20, 2008 IP
  5. Chaps

    Chaps Peon

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    #5
    ...not without 4x the amount of coding mess.
     
    Chaps, Oct 4, 2009 IP
  6. goliath

    goliath Active Member

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    #6
    If you never found anything you could do with CSS that you couldn't do with tables, you haven't tried to do much. Seriously, and no offense meant. it's true.

    There are a whole list of reasons why using tables for your primary layout is bad. This probably isn't the place to start rehashing them though.

    And as for Google, this is a pure case of "do as I say not as I do." You can find many articles at google about things that they do to their own sites which would hurt you in their rankings, including using invalid HTML/XHTML syntax.
     
    goliath, Oct 4, 2009 IP
  7. Pwnography

    Pwnography Member

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    #7
    Actually, Yesideez is correct.


    CSS was created in the attempt to make something universal, so when loading a different page etc, or updating a new page you wouldn't have to update everything, just one file.

    I think what you may be referencing that you cannot do is something that has nothing associated with tables in the first place. AjAX and DOM() related Jquery is often for some reason mis-discussed like its a CSS module, or CSS rule.

    CSS just automates the task of editting the html that is used on the tables... and theres things I can do with raw html that I cannot do with CSS. I will stick by Yesideez on this one and say that Tables are far more flexible, than CSS. Especially when you hard code them, where as CSS will depend on load orders, and which browser is loading it.. which is why they has CSS hack fixes.

    -PWn
     
    Pwnography, Oct 5, 2009 IP
  8. Typo Tat

    Typo Tat Peon

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    #8
    There are many things that are easily achieved with tables that take loads of code and effort to do with CSS. In my opinion tables shouldn't be banished from the layout, they should be used sensibly just like CSS.

    Not every table layout is slow and huge, and not every CSS layout is slim and easily modified. That's just the way things are.
     
    Typo Tat, Oct 5, 2009 IP
  9. goliath

    goliath Active Member

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    #9
    CSS Confgures the DOM properties at a global level, with rules of precendence for multiple layers of interactive and related properties, many of which cannot be accessed at all using 'raw' HTML or especially XHTML. The number of things that raw HTML can do which CSS cannot is truly insignificant compared to the number of things that CSS can do which HTML cannot.

    As far as what YOU can do vs what YOU cannot do with either, I have no idea :)

    If you had ever been to http://csszengarden.com/ and understood what they do there, you would not say that any more. Absolutely silly. I can give you more specific examples of completely, almost unrecognizably diversified layout using the exact same HTML data and container structures, if you actually have any interest. You absolutely cannot do these sort of layouts with tables.

    They have hack fixes for compliance issues and browser specific implementations of an unclear spec. If you "hand-code" inline styles load order is overriden, just the same as inline HTML.

    srsly.

    I love tables. For tabular data, I use them every time. For layout? It hurts my eyes.

    Absolutely the solid truth right there. No matter what your personal preference is.
     
    goliath, Oct 6, 2009 IP
  10. Chaps

    Chaps Peon

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    #10
    Then you can't possibly know CSS as well as you think you do. Or at least not nearly on the level that you know tables.
     
    Chaps, Oct 6, 2009 IP
  11. Masterful

    Masterful Well-Known Member

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    #11
    You guys obviously don't understand CSS as much as you think you do.

    Tables are intended for tabular data, not layouts. It was OK to use them before, but not anymore. Use tables today and you will get laughed at.

    Table layouts are primitive and very messy. CSS is much more powerful and versatile. If, one day, you make the transition from tables to CSS, you will understand what I mean.

    You guys are like the pensioners of the Web development community. You need to evolve with the times. You will not be paid as much as a modern developer for your outdated methods.

    I'm not surprised that Google use tables. If you check the validity of their sites, you will find countless errors. It's as if their developers are amateurs.
     
    Masterful, Oct 6, 2009 IP