I've been doing table-based layouts since 1997 and they work fine. Now people are telling me I should switch to CSS layouts with divs and floats. But CSS support is inconsistent across browsers and the float model is confusing.

Is CSS layout actually ready for production sites? Or is this still bleeding edge?

CSS layout IS the future but the present is messy. IE5/6, Netscape 6, and Opera all render CSS differently. You end up writing hacks for each browser.

Tables work. They've worked for years. Use them until CSS support is truly consistent. Don't fix what isn't broken.

Start learning CSS now even if you don't use it in production yet. When browser support catches up (and it will), you'll be ready. The separation of content and presentation is powerful.

Check out the CSS Zen Garden when it launches — it's going to show everyone what CSS can do. Table layouts are dead, they just don't know it yet.