The Evolution of HTML

HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) is the language that is responsible for creating web pages as we know them today. HTML has gone through many transformations since its inception, and each transformation has brought new features and advantages to developers.

History of HTML?

In the 1980s, Tim Berners-Lee, an English physicist, proposed a project called “ENQUIRE” while working at CERN in Switzerland. It was a system to share, use, and document information over a network that is now known as the internet. In 1989, Tim wrote a memo on HTML, proposing it as a document that could be cross-referenced with other documents. HTML 1, which had a free-flowing structure and looked like a document with few rules and no styling, did not have an official release.

HTML 2.0

HTML 2.0 was published in November 1995 by the IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force). The new version added features such as form-based file upload, tables, client-side image maps, and internationalization. HTML 3.2, which was published in 1997, was the first version of HTML after the founding of W3C (World Wide Web Consortium). This version added some new tags and standardized HTML markup. HTML 4.0, released in 1997, supported faulty code and allowed deprecated elements to some extent.

XHTML 1.0

Although not technically a part of the HTML hierarchy, XHTML has its history attached to it. W3C began standardizing all the features of HTML used by different browsers and even the page attributes. XHTML is the XML serialization of DOM element, and it is a strict syntax of HTML. In 2004, WHATWG drafted the idea of HTML5, which was finally launched on October 28, 2014, after w3c officially dropped the idea of XHTML. HTML5 is now the only version of the HTML tree that has a formal brand, including a logo, a brand site, spokespeople, marketing people, and case studies.

HTML5

HTML5 was designed by W3C in collaboration with WHATWG and has some groundbreaking design principles. The four levels of design principles are compatibility, utility, interoperability, and universal access. The set of principles under compatibility explains how HTML5 will handle a market full of HTML 4.01-based websites and tags. It highlights the support of existing content, degrading gracefully, and not reinventing the wheel. HTML5 also emphasizes the evolution rather than the revolution of the language.

HTML5 Design Principles

HTML5 is a markup language designed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and the Web Hypertext Application Technology Working Group (WHATWG). HTML5 has revolutionized web design principles and has made the development of websites more efficient, user-friendly, and secure.

HTML5 was designed with several key principles in mind, which are divided into four different levels.

The first level of design principles, Compatibility, addresses the issue of how HTML5 will handle a market full of HTML 4.01-based websites and tags. The principles include Support of Existing Content, Degrade Gracefully, Do Not Reinvent the Wheel, Pave the Cowpaths, and Evolution Not Revolution. These principles ensure that HTML5 can support older websites, and that new tags and features are introduced gradually to avoid disrupting the market.

The second level of design principles, Utility, focuses on ensuring that HTML5 can be used effectively for its many intended purposes. These principles include Solve Real World Problems, Priority of Constituencies, Secure by Design, Separation of Concerns, and DOM Consistency. They ensure that HTML5 can effectively solve common web community problems, prioritize the needs of users, developers, and browsers, and manage security risks.

The third level of design principles, Interoperability, exists to improve the chances of HTML implementations being truly interoperable, able to exchange and make use of information. The principles include Well-Defined Behavior, Avoid Needless Complexity, and Handle Errors. These ensure that HTML5 is well-defined and easily understood, avoids needless complexity, and can handle errors gracefully.

The fourth level of design principles, Universal Access, ensures that the language is accessible to as many people as possible, regardless of their disabilities. These principles include Universal Design, Accessibility, and Internationalization.

HTML5 has transformed the way websites are designed and developed. Its design principles ensure that it can support older websites while introducing new features gradually. The language is also easy to use, secure, and interoperable. Overall, HTML5 has made the web a better place for both developers and users.