Yes, the Pure_* themes show this problem, but so do the OS_* themes. The problem appears to be that the table technique is supported in some places but is not supported in other places.

I feel that if this technique is going to be an allowed way to create themes, then it should be supported in all places including plugins. However, if it is not going to be supported, then it should be officially deprecated. Having legitimate themes that do not work properly under some conditions makes our sites look unprofessional.

That said, it would be a shame to loose some of these themes, they are good looking themes, and there just aren't that many to choose from.

Thank you,
-- Will