Why “CSS4” Would Never Work—and What Could Instead
Louis Lazaris argues that the CSS4 label is fundamentally flawed because it lacks the reality that made “CSS3” successful. CSS3 was a genuine successor to CSS2.1, and everything after that point simply fell under its umbrella. CSS4, by contrast, isn’t tied to any actual spec or milestone—so it wouldn’t stick.
He might be underestimating marketing’s pull. Once a label gains traction, truth matters less than momentum, and money tends to follow the idea. Think of politics or even pet rocks—both thrive on perception, not substance.
Amelia Bellamy-Royds offers a different path: the W3C already publishes CSS Snapshots, which could be rebranded as yearly releases. Instead of a fictional “CSS4,” we could see a real “CSS2020”—mirroring how JavaScript gets ES2019 rather than a version number that implies a clean break.
