domgblackwell

Possibly - I won't know until I've played with the code a bit. But it seems to me that Susy has brought a simple but extremely powerful idea to implementing front-end code - instead of using a presentational element and layout-related class names like "row" etc. you can use a semantically-appropriate HTML element and @include your markup via a mixin. The actual CSS implementation can be the same - it's just that it is possible to separate the semantic HTML from the presentational structure (nested selectors with included of mixins as allowed by LESS/SASS) and the CSS implementation in the generated CSS.

Although - the implementations used in Bootstrap could be translated to a more semantic approach by using SASS or LESS mixins instead of classes. This is the approach used by the Susy grid system included with Compass. I see Bootstrap as a open-sourced library of tested cross-browser solutions to a reasonable set of challenges in modern front-end coding. As such I'm hoping it is possible to port a lot of it to a "semantic markup" way of doing things.

I second that. Good front-end coding, just like good graphic design is a real skill not a cheap commodity. I don't see who has gained from this exercise except as an example of how not to get your website made.

You might study architecture if you want to be able to understand the buildings you see in places you travel to. Just as not everyone who studies the history of art wants to be a painter...

This is very true - despite phrases like 'colour theory' aesthetic quality is not a matter of fact. Colour choices are not only subjective they are also highly context-dependent. You can completely transform the appearance of a set of colours by adding an accent in another and colour choices that are great for one purpose may be hopeless for another.

Exactly. Cold fusion is not necessarily 'junk science' but until someone uses it to generate net energy it is an interesting theoretical idea rather than solid science on which real world technology can be built.

Here is some material (some a bit old, last one is a video):

http://linuxdevcenter.com/pub/a/linux/2001/11/29/ruby.html

http://www.artima.com/intv/ruby.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEkJvvGEtB4

Possibly. Yukihiro Matsumoto created Ruby which has an essential simplicity even if it can be used in cryptic ways...

I think they mean Bill Gosper [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Gosper]...