HTML5/CSS3
The new standard for Web!
What is HTML5?
HTML5 will be the new standard for HTML.
The previous version of HTML, HTML 4.01, came in 1999. The web has changed a lot since then.
HTML5 is still a work in progress. However, the major browsers support many of the new HTML5 elements and APIs.
How Did HTML5 Get Started?
HTML5 is a cooperation between the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and the Web Hypertext Application Technology Working Group (WHATWG).
WHATWG was working with web forms and applications, and W3C was working with XHTML 2.0. In 2006, they decided to cooperate and create a new version of HTML.
Some rules for HTML5 were established:
- New features should be based on HTML, CSS, DOM, and JavaScript
- Reduce the need for external plugins (like Flash)
- Better error handling
- More markup to replace scripting
- HTML5 should be device independent
- The development process should be visible to the public
HTML5 - New Features
Some of the most interesting new features in HTML5:
- The <canvas> element for 2D drawing
- The <video> and <audio> elements for media playback
- Support for local storage
- New content-specific elements, like <article>, <footer>, <header>, <nav>, <section>
- New form controls, like calendar, date, time, email, url, search
What is CSS3?
CSS is used to control the style and layout of Web pages.
CSS3 is the latest standard for CSS.
CSS3 is completely backwards compatible, so you will not have to change existing designs. Browsers will always support CSS2.
CSS3 Modules
CSS3 is split up into "modules". The old specification has been split into smaller pieces, and new ones are also added.
Some of the most important CSS3 modules are:
- Selectors
- Box Model
- Backgrounds and Borders
- Text Effects
- 2D/3D Transformations
- Animations
- Multiple Column Layout
- User Interface
The CSS3 specification is still under development by W3C.
However, many of the new CSS3 properties have been implemented in modern browsers.