Do It With Style: Rethinking CSS - Dylan Beattie - NDC Oslo 2026

Do It With Style: Rethinking CSS - Dylan Beattie - NDC Oslo 2026

Title history
  • Do It With Style: Rethinking CSS - Dylan Beattie - NDC Oslo 2026 — observed on 20261103-1036 UTC (YouTube)
🎙 Dylan Beattie 👥 230K 📅 November 3, 2026 ⏱ 60 min 👁 6 📄 expert opinion 🧭 2026-11-03
Available in: English (current) Français

Keywords

CSSweb standardsHTML detail/summaryinterpolate-sizeanimation

Summary

In this talk from NDC Oslo 2026, Dylan Beattie challenges the common perception that CSS is not a real programming language and shows how it has evolved into a powerful tool for layout, interaction and animation. He traces the history of the web, from the early days when styling was impossible, to the arrival of browser standards like border-radius, and explains the cycle of feature adoption. He then demonstrates practical modern CSS techniques: using HTML details and summary for accordions without JavaScript, styling nested CSS rules, and creating smooth animated docks with CSS transitions. A key section addresses the famous bug that prevented animating between ‘auto’ heights, and how the new ‘interpolate-size’ property finally solves it. Throughout, he emphasises that many problems once solved with JavaScript are now better handled by pure CSS, and encourages developers to keep an open mind about the language.

144 words

Critical Evaluation

Value of the Information & Strength of the Argument

The talk provides substantial value by combining historical context, concrete code demonstrations, and insights into the web standards process. The argumentation is solid: Beattie systematically shows how modern CSS features (nested rules, interpolate-size, view transitions) address long-standing pain points. He also illustrates the constraints imposed by browser compatibility and the need to preserve backward compatibility, which explains why some features take years to be fully supported.

Scientific Rigor, Source Quality, Title Accuracy

The speaker references the CSS Working Group and various browser implementation histories, grounding his claims in real practices. No formal citations are given, but the information is consistent with widely known web standards. The title accurately sums up the talk’s mission: to encourage a fresh look at CSS and its capabilities. The talk is well-structured, though it contains some subjective opinions, especially when criticising JavaScript-heavy approaches.

147 words

Title / Content Match

The title accurately reflects the content: the speaker reconsiders CSS by showing its modern capabilities and historical evolution.

Quality & Reliability

8/10

The talk is given by a recognised expert (Dylan Beattie) and relies on well-known, stable web standards. The information is accurate and reflects current CSS evolution, though it is presented from a personal viewpoint.

Key Moments

Cited Sources

  • NDC Conferences — Official conference organisation page.
  • NDC Oslo — Conference website where this talk was recorded.

Concurring Sources

  • NDC Conferences — Promotes the conference and future talks.
  • NDC Oslo — Event page for the conference where the talk was recorded.

Contribution & Novelties

The talk offers a fresh perspective on CSS, showing how many features traditionally implemented in JavaScript can now be achieved with pure CSS, thanks to modern additions like nested rules, the ‘interpolate-size’ property, and the details/summary elements. It also explains the slow process of browser standardisation, which is often overlooked by developers.

Pour aller plus loin :

99 words

Radar Profile

The profile shows high scores in quantity and quality of information, with a slightly lower but still solid score in technical level and reliability. The speaker balances depth and accessibility, making the talk suitable for a broad developer audience.

Reliability 8/10