HTML

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Definition

The Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) is the dominant language for web pages.


HTML, an initialism of HyperText Markup Language, is the predominant markup language for web pages. It provides a means to describe the structure of text-based information in a document — by denoting certain text as links, headings, paragraphs, lists, and so on — and to supplement that text with interactive forms, embedded images, and other objects. HTML is written in the form of tags, surrounded by angle brackets. HTML can also describe, to some degree, the appearance and semantics of a document, and can include embedded scripting language code (such as JavaScript) which can affect the behavior of Web browsers and other HTML processors.([Wikipedia, retrieved 12:56, 1 September 2008 (UTC)])

This is just a short overview page. See also:

Popular Versions

The version of HTML was created in 1991 in a documented called HTML Tags (retrieved 15:25, 1 September 2009 (UTC)) and included about 20 elements.

HTML 2.0

HTML 2.0 was published as RFC 1866 (november 1995), with some later additions, like RFC 2867 (forms), RFC 1942 (tables), RFC 1980 (client-side image maps)

HTML 3.2

The HTML 3.2 Reference Specification (Jan 1997) was published as W3C Recommendation

Many web pages still use 3.2. It displays fine on all modern browsers, unless people use unofficial (non 3.2) extensions from that time ...

HTML 4.01

HTML 4 was first published in 1997 and then refined in december 1999 as HTML 4.01.

HTML 4.01 is the current HTML (not XHTML) specification, and there exist three variants:

  • HTML 4.01 strict is cleaned up version of HTML, i.e. does not contain styling functionalities that can be had through CSS stylesheets.
  • HTML 4.01 transitional includes tags such as center, font and strike that were deprecated in HTML 4.01 strict
  • HTML 1.0 Frameset includes framesets (excluded from HTML 4.01 strict).

XHTML 1.0

  • XHTML 1.0 (jan 2000).
  • Formulates XHTML 4.01 in XML and some other minor changes

XHTML 1.1

  • XHTML 1.1 (May 2001) adds minor changes to XHTML 1.0 and is described in modular form.

Future

XHTML 2.0

This version tried to introduce a more coherent document markup, e.g. through the use of sections (like in DocBook), but since Summer 2009 it is a dead project.

HTML 5.0

  • HTML 5, an update to XHTML 1.1 that includes a few interesting extensions, like the canevas elements.
  • HTML 5 (Wikipedia)

Less popular versions

  • HTML Tags (a CERN document of 1992)
  • HTML 3.0 was an aborted attempt in 1995.
  • HTML 4.0 (dec 1997). It was the first series of standards that distinguised between strict, transitional (deprrecated elements allowed) and frameset.

Links

W3C
Wikipedia
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