Incidentally, I recently hosted a client's site with DreamHost, having read really good things about them. It was a WordPress site, which I understand they support out of the box, but there were times when the site was completely inaccessible.

So I moved them over to MT and haven't had a problem since.

DreamHost seems to be really nice, and their customer service is great, but the actual hosting services could really use some work.

I got slammed with database errors, server time-outs, failed FTP, and no e-mail for days on end with my previous host. It was miserable, so I switched. But, I'll give credit where credit is due: they quickly gave me a proper credit when I cancelled my service.

The whole "breaks our designs" argument from more traditional designers sort of makes me laugh a little bit. The forum post above was aimed at a print designer — a talented one at that — who had argued against the use of standards because it's easier and faster to use tables, and sites display more accurately when using tables. But the fact is, the web is a completely different medium than more traditional design mediums. Accessibility doesn't break design; it just adds one more constraint through which we have to work. A great designer can work accessibility and standards into his or her site without sacrificing aesthetics, as we've seen time and time again.

Interesting — I spotted that noupe.com article after seeing it in my Analytics account, but didn't get more than ten or fifteen hits from it. Then, yesterday, I almost got 200. They must've been dugg.

But in many instances, design matters far less than accessibility of information...

I agree. No amount of good design will make up for poor accessibility, and—worse yet—crappy content. The accessibility features of the web have long been lamented by designers as the crutch of the medium, where many of our peers complain that the web "breaks our designs," making it no fun to work with. I think we need to recognize that these features are part of what makes the web so powerful.

But I don't think any aspect of the final product should take precedence over another.

Good code means nothing if the design is poor.

Good design is compromised if the media cannot be shared reliably because of poor code, development, or production.

Good content becomes diluted if the design doesn't honor the content.

... how'd you find my site?

Found it here.

Thanks for stopping by! And thanks for the compliments.

I agree that aesthetics are important on the web — otherwise, I wouldn't have a job. But in many instances, design matters far less than accessibility of information (for instance, cell phone users, or people accessing a site's content through an RSS reader).

I'm honestly not sure if I have any readers, as I only update the site occasionally, but glad to know you found what I've written so far interesting! If you don't mind my asking, how'd you find my site?

... for many people using the Web, what a site looks like is the least important thing about the site

True that content is the most important thing, but I wouldn't underestimate the value people put in the aesthetics of a website. I think it's a shame, but many people judge a book by its cover. There are many examples of websites that people love just because the site "looks cool," not because of quality content, readability, legibility, or any remnant of good graphic design.

Anyways, glad I found your website. Seems like you have some good reading. Adding you to my bookmarks/RSS.

Figured it would be a good idea to follow my own advice and post this in the blog.

Seriously, what a wonderfully put together response! I am bookmarking this and probably printing it out as a future reference as well. Great info. You should start an "Ask Vincent" column! :D -Eric

Thank you, Luisa.

Sherry -- I don't know anything about databases, really. I'm more designer than programmer. The most database work I do is setting up WordPress, and when I do that, WordPress does pretty much all the work.

Thanks for the reference though! I'll be looking out for a call.