This is probably the first CSS stylesheet released to the public, it comes from HÃ¥kon W Lie's initial proposal for CSS in October 1994!
As I look over it in 2017 I notice some interesting things represented here:
- single line comments (all comments here are single-line comments starting with
#) - custom-set cascade (no calculating based on selector specificity)
-
pt,mm, andcmunits are as old/foundational to CSS aspx - Setting
font.sizeorspace.leftthen usingfont.size * 2andspace.left + 0.5cmlater as values is like a precursor to CSS variables today -
.firstseems to be either a pseudo-element like::first-lineor::first-letter, or a pseudo-class like:first,:first-childor:first-of-type -
x > y ? a : bsimilar to at-rule logic like@mediaqueries -
REAL_HEIGHTlooks like environment values, something brand new in CSS - separate screen and print media styles
So even as CSS grows over the years, it's still striving to match some of the expressive power intended from the beginning.
#
# This is an initial style sheet. It should provide fallback values
# with low influence. Also, at the end, the user has added some
# favorite settings
#
0% # 0% impact, i.e. fallbacks
# first, set some common defaults
font.family = times
font.size = 12pt # alternative units are px, mm, cm
font.slant = normal
font.weight = normal
h1.font.size = font.size * 3
h2.font.size = font.size * 2.5
h3.font.size = font.size * 2
strong.font.weight = bold
em.font.slant = italics
tt.font.spacing = proportional
align.style = left # paragraph alignment
h1.align.style = center
space.left = 0pt # set the white space surrounding paragraphs
space.right = 0pt
space.above = 4pt
space.below = 4pt
space.first = space.left + 0.5cm # i.e. some extra indentation
head.space.above = 15pt # straying from the 4pt default above
list.space.left = 1cm # extra indentation for all lists
list.space.first = 1cm
# window-wide settings
AGE > 3d ? window.background = pale_yellow : window.background = white
window.foreground = black
window.width = 400px
window.height = REAL_HEIGHT - 50px
window.margin.left = 2cm
window.margin.right = 2cm
window.margin.above = 2cm
window.margin.below = 2cm
#
# paper works different
#
print.font.size = 10pt
#
# The user has redefined some of the default values below
#
100% # first, redefine influence to dictatorship
font.family = helvetica
#
# after this, the rest of the influence is handed over to the style
# sheets of the incoming documents
#
Top comments (2)
Wow, this is really interesting. Do you know if the intention at the time was for it to become such an all-encompassing de facto as it did?
Hmm I also realize I might be misunderstanding the context here. 🙃