Kevin Marks
What @adactio says here is spot on - browsers can do this now if you make an iframe, so let us do it elsewhere https://adactio.com/links/11958 #Indieweb
On container queries. — Ethan Marcotte
Unsurprisingly, I completely and utterly agree with Ethan’s assessment here:
I’ve written some code that’s saying, “Once the screen is this size and the element appears in a different, smaller container, use a narrower layout on this element.”
But, well, that’s weird. Why can’t we apply styles based on the space available to the module we’re designing, rather than looking at the shape of the viewport?
I also share his frustration with the “math is hard; let’s go shopping” response from browser vendors:
There’s an incredible clamor for container queries, with folks from every corner of the responsive community asking for something that solves this problem. So personally, I’d love to see at least one browser vendor partner with the RICG, and get properly fired up about this.
We had to drag browser makers kicking and screaming to responsive images (to this day, Hixie maintains it’s not a problem that needs solving) and I suspect even more activism is going to be needed to get them to tackle container queries.
Responses
Owen Blacker 🇪🇺
On container queries and responsive web design adactio.com/links/11958 via @kevinmarks
Related links
The Origin Story of Container Queries—zachleat.com
Everyone wants it, but it sure seems like no one is actively working on it.
Zach traces the earliest inklings of container queries to an old blog post of Andy’s—back when he was at Clearleft—called Responsive Containers:
For fun, here’s some made-up syntax (which Jeremy has dubbed ‘selector queries’)…
Reduce the JS Workload with no- or lo-JS options
This is an excellent one-stop shop of interface patterns:
This is an organic collection of common JS patterns that can be replaced with just HTML, CSS, and no, or very low, JS. As HTML and CSS continue to mature, this collection should expand.
What’s new in web typography? | Clagnut by Richard Rutter
There have been so many advances in HTML, CSS and browser support over the past few years. These are enabling phenomenal creativity and refinement in web typography, and I’ve got a mere 28 minutes to tell you all about it.
I’ve been talking to Rich about his Web Day Out talk, and let me tell you, you don’t want to miss it!
It’s gonna be a wild ride! Join me at Web Day Out in Brighton on 12 March 2026. Use JOIN_RICH to get 10% off and you’ll also get a free online ticket for State of the Browser.
Don’t judge a book by its cover
Some neat CSS from Tess that’s a great example of progressive enhancement; these book covers look good in all browsers, but they look even better in some.
Custom Asidenotes – Eric’s Archived Thoughts
An excellent example of an HTML web component from Eric:
Extend HTML to do things automatically!
He layers on the functionality and styling, considering potential gotchas at every stage. This is resilient web design in action.
Related posts
Underlines and line height
How to make the distance of link underlines proportional to the line height of the text.
Style your underlines
Make your links beautiful and accessible.
CSS snippets
Some styles I re-use when I’m programming with CSS.
Making the new Salter Cane website
A redesign with modern CSS.
Making the website for Research By The Sea
Having fun with view transitions and scroll-driven animations.