5 Reasons Against Resets, Normalizers, Reboots

Published on Oct 19, 2017 (updated Dec 5, 2021), filed under development (feed). (Share this on Mastodon or Bluesky?)

The Bootstrap framework is working on a new reset or normalizer, Reboot.

Reset or normalizer because it makes no difference: Everything is supposed to look somewhat the same before any branded styling is applied, that’s the idea.

The problem? Resets and normalizers (and reboots) aren’t needed at all.

They never were.

Reason 1: We test. We notice all relevant styling differences between user agents during testing ^*.

Reason 2: We’re professionals. We can fix the relevant styling differences.

Reason 3: We know that no one uses resets and normalizers correctly—by removing those declarations and rules that aren’t needed. (Quality means tailoring.)

Reason 4: We don’t need the detour. User agent styling, reset, styling? No: user agent styling, styling.

Reason 5: We know that resets and normalizers are unnecessary because we know that in many cases there’s no decisive difference even when the reset or normalizer is removed.

Maybe there’s also a reason in that there were working websites before there were resets, or that there have always been successful style sheets and frameworks that did without resets.

And then there’s the reason that one could, instead of a reset, just link any random style sheet on the Web and then overwrite that one instead.

Resets and normalizers (and reboots) weren’t and aren’t needed at all.

Why I, who has not been innocent, am still writing about this case, I don’t know. By now I consider it a little quirk or hobby, a hobby to collect the different perspectives at resets and to help understand that the practice is… smoke and mirrors.

^* Note the wording: all relevant differences, not all differences. Contrary to the anxiety this may cause, undiscovered pixel differences are not a big deal.

About Me

I’m Jens (long: Jens Oliver Meiert), and I’m a web developer, manager, and author. I’ve worked as a technical lead and engineering manager for small and large enterprises, I’m an occasional contributor to web standards (like HTML, CSS, WCAG), and I write and review books for O’Reilly and Frontend Dogma.

I love trying things, not only in web development and engineering management, but also in other areas like philosophy. Here on meiert.com I share some of my experiences and views. (I value you being critical, interpreting charitably, and giving feedback.)