Is it true that newsletters in HTML should have a “table-based” layouts?

Question

I read somewhere that when creating a HTML email, you should use the table-based layout. You should not care about creating tableless css based layout. Is that true? I have

Answer 1

I would love a world where no one expected HTML to be used where plain text would do, but that is not the situation. If your job is to come up with HTML that will not embarrass you when your subscribers try to view it in their favorite email clients (applications or web based email), it is hard to stick with semantic markup and CSS.

Take what I am saying with a grain of salt because I have only done this as a learning exercise and not professionally. Based on an article I had bookmarked and further links I found in that article, the following pages seem to have a good discussion of the real issues involved in sending HTML email.

http://www.sitepoint.com/article/code-html-email-newsletters/

http://www.sitepoint.com/article/principles-beautiful-html-email/

http://www.sitepoint.com/article/designers-guide-html-email/

Given the issues involved, using tables for layout makes practical sense.