- Chrome. Enabled by default since version 57.
- Firefox. Enabled by default since version 53.
- Internet Explorer. Enabled by default since IE10
- Opera. Enabled by default since version 44.
- Safari. Enabled by default since version 10.1.
They want to stay ahead of the pack
Foundation has made its bread and butter by staying out in front of emerging web technologies, and giving web designers a reason to adopt them. If you want long-term legacy browser support, there are other frameworks for that. Foundation likes new things, and so do its users. For them, this kind of fairly-early change is business as usual, rather than a radical departure from the norm.CSS Grid is just better for big layout stuff
On the surface, it seems like Flexbox meets the same needs as CSS Grid, and the support's already here. Well, it's not as simple as all that. While Flexbox was certainly an improvement on the old float-some-things-and-absolutely-position-others school of layout, it was not without its quirks. It lends itself more easily to allowing your content to define how it's displayed. People seem to agree that it's great for laying out content within the smaller elements of a page. CSS Grid seems to have been designed with the larger page layout in mind. It makes it easier to create, manage, and “responsify” large layouts with fewer lines of CSS than other options. As easy layouts are sort of Foundation's whole deal, it makes sense for them to incorporate CSS Grid.They think we should ditch the page metaphor anyway
Zurb and many others seems to believe that the whole concept of the “page” is going the way of the dodo, at least for designers and developers. CSS Grid apparently works quite well with modular systems that treat layouts as a collection of reusable elements rather than a single page. This way of thinking is especially popular with developers and designers who work on apps or very large websites more than five-page brochure sites. That includes Zurb. Go figure.The way forward is paved with Building Blocks
Is this a good thing for web des… yeah I'm not even going to finish that. CSS Grid is taking off big-time. Foundation adopting it means that it is, for the foreseeable future, pretty much official: CSS Grid is a thing. And hey, it might take some getting used to, but I like it. Besides, Zurb isn't stopping there. The adoption of CSS Grid has led Zurb even further down the path of modular code. They just released a new set of pre-coded UI components that they're calling Building Blocks. Building blocks will not be part of the Foundation core. They're extensions. Download them, drop them into your project, and go. So far, they consist of individual UI elements coded by Zurb — as well as code patterns created by the community — specifically to work with Foundation. Then there are curated sets of Building Blocks called Kits, that are designed to make it easier to build a specific kind of site. There are kits for eCommerce sites, portfolio sites, admin dashboards, and more. Readers with eidetic memories may remember that Rafi Benkual talked about this very concept back in our interview with him and Kevin Ball. Well, they've done it. It seems Zurb is determined to make it easier for designers to focus on UX concerns and aesthetics without doing all of the grunt work themselves. And push the web forward. I can get behind that.Ezequiel Bruni
Ezequiel Bruni is a web/UX designer, blogger, and aspiring photographer living in Mexico. When he’s not up to his finely-chiselled ears in wire-frames and front-end code, or ranting about the same, he indulges in beer, pizza, fantasy novels, and stand-up comedy.
Read Next
LimeWire Developer APIs Herald a New Era of AI Integration
Generative AI is a fascinating technology. Far from the design killer some people feared, it is an empowering and…
By WDD Staff
20 Best New Websites, March 2024
Welcome to our pick of sites for March. This month’s collection tends towards the simple and clean, which goes to show…
Exciting New Tools for Designers, March 2024
The fast-paced world of design never stops turning, and staying ahead of the curve is essential for creatives. As…
Web Tech Trends to Watch in 2024 and Beyond
It hardly seems possible given the radical transformations we’ve seen over the last few decades, but the web design…
By Louise North
6 Best AI Productivity Apps in 2024
There’s no escaping it: if you want to be successful, you need to be productive. The more you work, the more you…
By Simon Sterne
3 Essential Design Trends, February 2024
From atypical typefaces to neutral colors to unusual user patterns, there are plenty of new website design trends to…
Surviving the Leap from College to Real-World Design
So, you’ve finished college and are ready to showcase your design skills to the world. This is a pivotal moment that…
By Simon Sterne
20 Mind-Bending Illusions That Will Make You Question Reality
Mind-bending videos. Divisive Images. Eye-straining visuals. This list of optical illusions has it all. Join us as we…
By Max Walton
15 Best New Fonts, February 2024
Welcome to February’s roundup of the best new fonts for designers. This month’s compilation includes some innovative…
By Ben Moss
The 10 Best WordPress Quiz Plugins in 2024
Whether it’s boosting your organic search visibility or collecting data for targeted email marketing campaigns, a great…
By Robert Reeve
20 Best New Websites, February 2024
It’s almost Valentine’s Day, so this latest collection is a billet-doux celebrating the best of the web this month.
Everything You Need to Know About Image Formats In 2024
Always trying to walk the tightrope between image quality and file size? Looking to branch out from JPGs and PNGs this…
By Robert Reeve