| CSS has been around for more than 10 years already | | | | course is to ensure that any subsequent designs will |
| beginning in its development in 1997 but it seems it | | | | conform to the predetermined specifications upon |
| has been in the public consciousness for only a | | | | printing. |
| relatively short time. The reason for this is because it | | | | This concept can be translated easily enough to the |
| wasn't until the year 2000 that many web browsers | | | | World Wide Web only in this particular case, |
| began using the capabilities of CSS beyond its more | | | | Cascading Style Sheets not only determine the |
| basic color and font characteristics. Of course things | | | | technical specifications of a particular document on |
| are way different now and virtually all modern day | | | | the web but also has the added function of |
| browsers feature support for all CSS Level 1 aspects, | | | | communicating to the viewing vehicle (in this case the |
| many aspects of CSS Level 2 and some web | | | | web browser that the end user is using to surf the |
| browsers have even gone beyond that to support | | | | Internet) exactly how the document that is being |
| some of the capabilities of CSS Level 3. | | | | viewed is to be rendered. |
| Indeed, it is rarely that you find a web site | | | | One of the most important things to remember in all |
| nowadays that does not utilize some form of CSS in | | | | of this is the key word Cascade. Much like a stream |
| their design and development. For better or worse, | | | | of water running of a cliff or elevated area comes |
| web sites that rely solely on HTML are quickly going | | | | into direct contact with the rocks and soil that line |
| the way of the dinosaur. May industry pundits as well | | | | the full course of the incline, yet is ultimately only |
| as end users have even gone so far as to consider a | | | | affected in terms of its final destination by the land |
| thorough knowledge of CSS as being far more | | | | elements at the end of the slope, Cascading Style |
| necessary than a thorough knowledge of HTML. | | | | Sheets by their very nature flows or cascades |
| While in truth they are both equally important and will | | | | through any number of separate style sheets. To |
| continue to be an important facet of the web for | | | | follow the stream of water analogy even further, the |
| many years to come, there is no denying the | | | | appearance of a particular web site is ultimately |
| widespread impact that CSS has brought upon the | | | | dependent upon the user agent style sheet, which in |
| World Wide Web. | | | | many cases is the default style that the Web |
| CSS was originally developed as a means by which | | | | browser will utilize in the task of displaying a particular |
| web developers could define both the look and the | | | | web page in the absence of any other set of |
| feel of their web pages. With its inception, web | | | | instructions. |
| designers were now able to treat content and design | | | | Of course more often than not, a web designer will |
| as two separate entities, thereby allowing HTML to | | | | probably provide any number of his own instructions |
| function more in accord with its intended purpose, | | | | that are embedded in the web page in question. The |
| which was to focus on the markup of a particular | | | | Cascading Style Sheet in this particular scenario will be |
| web site's content and leaving the responsibility of | | | | tasked with dictating to the web browser which |
| the design and layout to CSS. | | | | particular set of instructions will have top priority. The |
| The term CSS itself is an abbreviation for Cascading | | | | most commonly seen usage of this is in the fonts |
| Style Sheet. The style sheet in this particular instance | | | | that are used for a web site. Even if your web |
| refers to the document itself. The concept of style | | | | browser is set to display web pages in a specific font |
| sheets itself is nothing new; designers have used | | | | and type size, say Arial narrow 10 points, the font |
| them in their documents for many years. Strictly | | | | size and family that is specified in the Cascading Style |
| speaking, style sheets are the set of technical | | | | Sheet will take precedence overriding the default |
| specifications that govern a particular layout, whether | | | | values that have been set in your browser. |
| it is online or on print. The purpose of these of | | | | |