Wheeler said “There is no problem in computer science that cannot be solved by introducing another level of indirection.” The style concept achieves its effect—allowing multiple elements to have their format updated at once—by associating formats not directly with elements, but indirectly, through styles. In an email exchange that I had with Wheeler in 2001, he confirmed that he was the author of this adage, but noted that he usually followed it by something like “and this usually reveals new problems.”
