Death to px, long live ch

Here's the thing that gets me about the endless px-vs-relative-units debate: we've spent two decades building responsive frameworks that break the moment a user changes their browser font size. The article touches on exactly this — when you size things in `px`, you're assuming a one-size-fits-all reality that hasn't existed since 2007. Using `ch` means your component widths actually respect the user's chosen font metrics, which is the kind of accessibility win that doesn't require a massive rewrite or a new JavaScript library. The pushback is predictable, of course. "But what about images?" "But what about complex layouts?" These are the same arguments people used against `em` and `rem` a decade ago, and they were wrong then, too. The web is text-first, and the sooner we design around that truth, the more robust our interfaces become. `ch` isn't a magic bullet, but it's a damn good arrow for the quiver. What I appreciate about this particular post is that it's not just theory — it's a working note from someone who's actually building for the web. That's rare in a space flooded with hot-take design essays that never ship anything. The author is making a case for a pragmatic shift, backed by real-world testing, and that's exactly the kind of substance this ecosystem needs. The broader lesson here is about the web platform itself: our CSS has always been more powerful than we give it credit for. We just get lazy and default to what's familiar — and `px` is very familiar. But familiarity isn't a feature. Respect the medium, respect the user, and your layouts will be better for it. Full credit to the author for pushing the conversation forward. Source: [Death to px, long live ch — shkspr.mobi](https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2026/08/death-to-px-long-live-ch/)