SuzyUK - 3:53 pm on Dec 12, 2009 (gmt 0)

OK call the class "extra" then ;)

You would not have to change the HTML, simply get the class name to do the work from the CSS using the specificity of its parent ID and/or use the element it is attached to - i.e. qualify it! - that being the point which started this ;)

for clarity it wouldn't matter what the class name was it could be used for more than padding.. sorry possibly bad example name, though I use it because I feel that adding fluff of any kind be it color, size, background, padding, margins is "padding" the presentation ;)

anway, I don't think I was exaggerating - the point is that the G Tool is sending misleading messages to "Joe Blogger" type users that their CSS is inefficient, when in fact it's probably very efficient, it's just not what the SE's would like to see!

There is a big risk people will use it an authoritative source, like a religious book to the faithful, and not question the validity of the advise anymore.

That sums it up for me too, which brings me back to, Why people would be looking to SE's (Google and Yahoo!) for advice on CSS coding when it is simply not proven that a particular coding style has any impact on Page Speed at all.

Each to their own, but I will still promote W3C practices as "best practices" as that is the authoritative source, this includes using the Cascade and Specificity to do what they were designed to do :)