W3C HTMLActivity
HTML is the universal markup language on the Web.
HTML Tutorial
To learn more about HTML, please read ourHTML Tutorial。
HTML Versions
HTML 2.0
HTML 2.0 was developed by the HTML Working Group of the Internet Engineering Task Force in 1996.
HTML 2.0 is an outdated HTML version. Browsers currently available on the market rely on newer versions of HTML. For a web developer, there is no need for the HTML 2.0 standard.
HTML 3.2
HTML 3.2 was published as a W3C standard on January 14, 1997. HTML 3.2 added widely used features to the HTML 2.0 standard, such as fonts, tables, applets, text flow around images, superscripts and subscripts.
One of these elements added to the HTML 3.2 standard in 1997 - the <font> tag - caused unnecessary trouble for the important task of separating HTML content and presentation.
HTML 4.0
As a W3C recommendation, HTML 4.0 was released on December 18, 1997. A second version with only minor editorial corrections was released on April 24, 1998.
The most important feature of HTML 4.0 was the introduction of style sheets (CSS).
OurW3C CSSchapter summarizes the W3C CSS activity.
HTML 4.01
HTML 4.01 was published as a W3C recommendation on December 24, 1999.
HTML 4.01 is a minor update to HTML 4.0, with corrections and bug fixes.
W3C will not continue to develop HTML. In the future, W3C's work will focus on XHTML.
XHTML 1.0 (The Newest Version of HTML)
XHTML 1.0 is a re-expression of HTML 4.01 using XML.
XHTML 1.0 was published as a W3C recommendation on January 20, 2000.
OurW3C XHTMLchapter summarizes the W3C XHTML activity.
HTML 5
W3C released the HTML 5 working draft on January 22, 2008.
By defining precise rules for how to handle all HTML elements and how to recover from errors, HTML 5 improves interoperability and reduces development costs.
New features in HTML 5 include the ability to embed audio, video, and graphics, client-side data storage, and interactive documents.
HTML 5 also includes new elements such as: <nav>, <header>, <footer>, and <figure>, among others.
The HTML 5 working group includes: AOL, Apple, Google, IBM, Microsoft, Mozilla, Nokia, Opera, and hundreds of other vendors.
W3C HTML Specifications and Timeline
| Specification | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| HTML 3.2 | January 14, 1997 |
| HTML 4.0 | May 24, 1998 |
| HTML 4.01 | December 24, 1999 |
| HTML 5 | June 24, 2010 (Latest draft) |
In the next section you will find content about XHTML specifications and timeline.