CCS - HTML Revisited Lesson

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HTML Revisited Lesson

History of HTML

Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) has evolved since its development. The first common markup language was the Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML). This language was introduced in the 1980s and can be applied to many types of documents stored in many formats.   The language is complex and limited to organizations that can afford the expenses of maintaining complex SGML environments. SGML has been used to create other markup languages that were tailored to specific tasks that are simpler to use and maintain. HTML is one of the languages created with SGML. Because no single organization was responsible for HTML at the time of its creation, web developers were free to define and modify HTML as they pleased. As time passed, Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape, the major browser competitors, began to add new features called extensions. Microsoft Internet Explorer added the most extensions including the extension to provide marquee-style text that would scroll automatically across the page. Netscape provided an extension to add background sounds to documents. As you can imagine, the extensions provided web developers with more options. Though the elements enhanced the web pages, it was later determined that some elements worked in some browsers but not in others. This made the process of enriching the web pages with elements challenging because web designers had to remember which browser supported the various elements. Eventually, a group of web developers, programmers, and authors called the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) created a set of standards that all browser manufacturers were to follow. This group does not have the power to enforce web developers to adhere to their recommendations, but because a uniform language is in everyone's best interest, the recommendations are usually observed. 

 

As you begin to use HTML to construct your web pages, there are a few things you should remember. The checklist below references those tips.

HTML Writing Checklist Image --Have an understanding of the history of HTML and the various versions of HTML and XHTML. --Know your target audience. Determine if you have to support older browsers, or have your clients standardize on one particular browser or browser version. --Determine the various devices that will be used to view the web pages. --Test your source code using several different browsers and browser versions. --Check the speed of connection. --Access the W3C website and read the documentation on the different versions of HTML and XHTM scoping for derails on the latest version.

 

 

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