HTML5 Intro
What is HTML5?
HTML5 is the current version of the HTML language. The HTML5 working group included AOL, Apple, Google, IBM, Microsoft, Mozilla, Nokia, Opera, and several hundred other manufacturers.
There is some confusion about versions because there are two independent developer groups — WHATWG and W3C.
WHATWG abandoned the principle of “versioning” in favor of “continuous development” when adopting the HTML specification. This decision was driven by the attempt to accelerate the implementation of the standard, meaning that web browser developers do not need to wait for an officially approved version of the specification (i.e., for the specification to reach the recommendation stage); they can implement certain parts of the specification right away. Therefore, according to WHATWG, there is only one specification that is constantly evolving — HTML.
The two groups worked in tandem: WHATWG wrote specifications as a “Living Standard,” while W3C accepted these specifications as “snapshots” and turned them into clearly versioned specifications. The W3C group worked significantly more slowly because it had to meet the needs of a broader range of users, not just web browsers.
On October 28, 2014, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) announced that the set of HTML5 specifications had been granted the status of a recommended standard. Interestingly, the HTML 5.0 specification had been formed two years earlier, after which the work focused on testing and evaluating the compatibility of available implementations. By the time of standardization, HTML5 had long become the de facto standard and was actively used in web applications. The formal approval of the standard merely put an official end to the advancement of HTML5 and confirmed its ubiquity and correct implementation.
The HTML5 specification is not limited to markup alone and includes a number of web technologies that together form an open Web platform — a software environment for cross‑platform applications capable of interacting with hardware and supporting tools for working with video, graphics, and animation, providing enhanced networking capabilities.
What’s New in HTML5?
The DOCTYPE declaration for HTML5 is very simple:
<!DOCTYPE html>
The character encoding (charset) declaration is also very simple:
<meta charset="UTF-8">
HTML5 Example:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Document title</title>
</head>
<body>
Document content......
</body>
</html>
Try it Yourself »
The default character encoding in HTML5 is UTF-8.
New HTML5 Elements
The most commonly used new HTML5 elements:
New semantic elements, such as <header>, <footer>, <article>, and <section>.
New form element attributes, such as number, date, time, calendar, and range.
New graphics elements: <svg> and <canvas>.
New multimedia elements: <audio> and <video>.
In the next section, HTML5 Browser Support, you will learn how to “teach” older browsers to handle HTML elements that are “unknown” to them (new ones).
New HTML5 APIs (Application Programming Interfaces)
The most interesting new APIs in HTML5 are:
- HTML Geolocation
- HTML Drag and Drop
- HTML Local Storage
- HTML Application Cache
- HTML Web Workers
- HTML SSE
Tip: Local storage is a powerful replacement for cookies.
Removed Elements in HTML5
In HTML5, the following HTML4 elements were removed:
| Removed Element | Use Instead |
|---|---|
| <acronym> | <abbr> |
| <applet> | <object> |
| <basefont> | CSS |
| <big> | CSS |
| <center> | CSS |
| <dir> | <ul> |
| <font> | CSS |
| <frame> | |
| <frameset> | |
| <noframes> | |
| <strike> | CSS, <s> or <del> |
| <tt> | CSS |
In the section HTML5 Migration from HTML4 you will learn how to easily move from HTML4 to HTML5.
HTML History. How Did It Happen?
Since the early days of the World Wide Web, there have been many versions of HTML:
| Year | Version |
|---|---|
| 1989 | Tim Berners-Lee invented the WWW |
| 1991 | Tim Berners-Lee created HTML |
| 1993 | Dave Raggett developed HTML+ |
| 1995 | The HTML Working Group developed HTML 2.0 |
| 1997 | W3C Recommendation: HTML 3.2 |
| 1999 | W3C Recommendation: HTML 4.01 |
| 2000 | W3C Recommendation: XHTML 1.0 |
| 2008 | WHATWG HTML5 First Public Draft |
| 2012 | WHATWG HTML5 Living Standard |
| 2014 | W3C Recommendation: HTML5 |
| 2016 | W3C Candidate Recommendation: HTML 5.1 |
| 2017 | W3C Recommendation: HTML5.1 2nd Edition |
| 2017 | W3C Recommendation: HTML5.2 |
| 2018 | W3C Recommendation: HTML5.3 |
From 1991 to 1999, HTML was developed from version 1 to version 4.
In 2000, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) recommended XHTML 1.0. The XHTML syntax was strict, and developers were required to write valid and “well‑formed” code.
In 2004, the W3C group decided to discontinue HTML development in favor of XHTML.
In 2004, WHATWG (Web Hypertext Application Technology Working Group) was formed. WHATWG wanted to develop HTML in a way that aligned with how the web was actually being used, while remaining compatible with older HTML versions.
From 2004 to 2006, WHATWG gained support from major browser vendors.
In 2006, the W3C group announced its support for WHATWG.
In 2008, the first public draft of HTML5 was released.
In 2012, WHATWG and W3C decided to split:
The WHATWG group wanted to develop HTML as a “Living Standard”. A Living Standard is always updated and improved. New features can be added, but old functionality cannot be removed.
WHATWG HTML5 Living Standard was published in 2012 and is continuously updated.
The W3C group wanted to develop a final, fixed standard for HTML5 and XHTML.
W3C HTML5 Recommendation was released on October 28, 2014.
W3C HTML5.1 2nd Edition Recommendation was released on October 3, 2017.
W3C HTML5.2 Recommendation was released on December 14, 2017.
W3C HTML5.3 Recommendation was released on October 18, 2018.
In 2019, WHATWG and W3C signed an agreement to collaborate and work on a single version of HTML in the future: this document is published on the WHATWG website.
Note: You can always find up‑to‑date and more complete information about the WHATWG “Living Standard” and current W3C Recommendations on the official WHATWG and W3C websites.
