W3C Publishes HTML 5 Draft, Future of Web Content

Business Wire, Jan 22, 2008

Web Community Forges Next HTML Standard in Public W3C Forum

http://www.w3.org/ -- W3C today published an early draft of HTML 5, a major revision of the markup language for the Web. The HTML Working Group is creating HTML 5 to be the open, royalty-free specification for rich Web content and Web applications. The group operates entirely in public with nearly five hundred participants, including representatives from W3C Members ACCESS, AOL, Apple, Google, IBM, Microsoft, Mozilla, Nokia, and Opera.

"HTML is of course a very important standard," said Tim Berners-Lee, author of the first version of HTML and W3C Director. "I am glad to see that the community of developers, including browser vendors, is working together to create the best possible path for the Web. To integrate the input of so many people is hard work, as is the challenge of balancing stability with innovation, pragmatism with idealism."

Why the Community Wants HTML 5

Engineers, designers, marketing departments, and users have learned much about the Web as a medium since HTML 4 was first published in December 1997. Web sites reflect this progress: no longer static page collections, they are now media-rich communities that leverage participation and evolve dynamically to better meet customer needs. Ajax and related innovations have propelled demands for a new standard that allows people to create Web applications that interoperate across desktop and mobile platforms.

W3C launched the HTML Working Group in March 2007 as a forum for building consensus around the new standard. The group has already published a set of HTML design principles, which include: ensuring support for existing content, codifying widespread practice, separating concerns (markup from presentation), and enabling universal access. These principles help guide the group's decision-making.

What's New in HTML 5

Some of the most interesting new features for authors are APIs for drawing two-dimensional graphics, embedding and controlling audio and video content, maintaining persistent client-side data storage, and for enabling users to edit documents and parts of documents interactively. Other features make it easier to represent familiar page elements, including