But, did you know that more often than not, your pages will not work with all the browsers and all platforms. Even if you are creating simple tables and frame-based sites, it may not work correctly on all platforms. Isn't it like saying that Windows has a good interface, because you can always go to the DOS command line and do things quickly. Unfortunately, to date there has been no editor that is as clean, efficient, or as versatile, as hand-coded html. Designing for the Web.
New technology is just around the corner.
Without knowing HTML, you can't just start experimenting with newer tags and technology. Just that having a knowledge of it in advance will help you make use technology more judiciously. So, don't be afraid. And yes, it's easy for me to say because I have been doing this since 1994. Go ahead and call me a fanatic, but offering a better user experience is what I care for.