Kobashi Computing

Avoid using the universal selector in your CSS stylesheets. There is just too much inconsistency when it comes to how each user agent treats the selector.

The universal CSS selector looks innocent but the reality is, it isn't. Take a look at the code below. If you use this CSS snippet in your pages, you will quickly find out it doesn't just zero out the padding and margin settings.


The global selector is user agent dependent it seems as if I run this on a button in Internet Explorer 7, the styles of the button will get totally wiped out.


* {
padding: 0;
margin: 0;
}


Additional Problems With Universal Selector

• You will lose the symbols in your ordered and unordered lists.
• Loss of the underline in acronym and abbreviation tags.

Use Meyer or YUI Global Reset

It's not worth the hassle having to go through all the little gotchas. Instead, use Eric Meyer's or Yahoo!'s global reset instead.