
Ask HN: Do you use odd numbers or prime numbers in CSS - ShirsenduK
My OCD prevents me from use odd numbers or prime numbers in CSS values. Do any of you have such a self-diagnosed OCD? :D
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dalke
I see from your article at [https://medium.com/dharma-experiments/join-a-
startup-to-acce...](https://medium.com/dharma-experiments/join-a-startup-to-
accelerate-your-life-d123a758acc#.1j7lk2z3w) and your comments at
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9574548](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9574548)
and
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5861582](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5861582)
that the prime numbers 2, 5, and 7 are not something you are not prevented
from using in non-CSS, so I hope it's okay for me to use them as examples in a
comment without triggering any undesired reactions.

I do not have such a issue. Looking through my CSS I do use such numbers. For
example, I have an H1 definition which is 2em, and I have color definitions
which are primes or odd numbers encoded as 6 hex digits.

In many cases I could use a decimal number, like "5.000004" instead of 5, or
represent color as float rgb() values.

If it's the physical representation of the number, rather than the concept,
which affects you, then a preprocessor like SASS would let you write "70/10"
as a substitute for 7, etc.

This will be less maintainable, and if you have any co-workers you may have
difficulty maintaining round-about solutions to represent values comfortably,
give that few others will even notice that a 4 digit value like a year, or a
hex, is odd, much less prime.

Last year, at
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9568640](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9568640)
, you made a reference about how HN's CSS changed from 9pt to 10pt. This makes
me wonder if your OCD has recently become worse. If so, that may be something
you need to talk to a professional about, rather than ill-informed HN readers
like myself.

~~~
ShirsenduK
Who are you :O? Thats some serious observation skills. Thanks for taking the
time to help me isolate the disorder.

Its not that I don't use them[odd and prime numbers], its more like I try and
avoid them. :)

