If a web browser allows images, then the website always has full control over how content renders. It's the default. HTML and related standards are trying to persuade developers to cede some of that control in the name of accessibility, user choice, searchability, device compatibility etc. that all-image websites lack. But this can only succeed if the developers still can do everything they want to. If they can't, then they'll fall back to images and everyone loses.

This is true.

A lot of websites back in the 90s were just made up of images that were clickable using image maps. It was not a fun time.

I get what the parent comment is saying, though, and it's why I use Gemini (the protocol[0], not the AI). It doesn't align with corporate interests, but for now I consider that a good thing.

[0] https://geminiprotocol.net/

Yep, in the old days, a lot of websites used image maps (so that clicking a part of the image would go to another page).