Lecture 2: Relevant History of HTML

Question 1

Before 1997

Answer 1

• No Community HTML Strandards
• Browsers Did Whatever They Wanted
• Browsers invented new tags, but some of the same tags did different things depending on browser

Question 2

Around 1997

Answer 2

World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Created the 1st Set of Standards for Browsers: HTML4

Question 3

2000

Answer 3

• New Specification from W3C: XHTML 1.0 (Based on XML)

- Shortly After, XHTML 2.0 Was Released

Question 4

XML

Answer 4

A more rigid, but clear, markup language.

Question 5

Result of XHTML 2.0

Answer 5

Browser vendor were unhappy with W3C. Felt they were too slow and their specifications were moving in wong direction.

Question 6

2004

Answer 6

Annoyed Browser Vendors came together and created WHATWG.

Question 7

WHATWG

Answer 7

Web Hypertext Application Technology Working Group

• A New Specifications Group Separate from W3C
• Has One Central Editor that Makes All Final Decisions

Question 8

2007-2009

Answer 8

• W3C Realized WHATWG was driven by the people that mattered to their company
• W3C & WHATWG Begin Working Together after going in 2 separate directions

Question 9

2009 - Now

Answer 9

Together, WHATWG and W3C, created HTML5

Question 10

HTML5: W3C Role

Answer 10

Oversees and establishes the standards placed on HTML5 by cherry-picking the more successful implementations by WHATWG and slowly adding them to the official standard.

• HTML Standards = W3C’s Bread & Butter

Question 11

HTML5: WHATWG’s Role

Answer 11

Don’t establish or depend on a “standards version” since they believe HTML is constantly evolving. They perform the actual implementations of the browsers.

Question 12

Evergreen Browsers

Answer 12

• All Major Modern Browsers

- Silently Update Themselves to Keep Up with Standards