Diff Between HTML 4.0 and HTML 5

June 18th, 2007

Anne Van Kesteren, perhaps in response to this post by Molly Holzschlag, created a difference document between HTML 4.0 and HTML 5. This is a very succinct look at how the markup will change, and I found it helpful. My heart will not break when such is implemented and we no longer have to worry about frames when we go to about.com.

Yeah, like that will happen.

Anyway, since I'm using XHTML, it doesn't necessarily impact on me other than to be aware of these changes when designing web pages for others.

(via Simon Willison)

Comments
1
Grauw - 12:52 am 6/19/2007

I think there are two misconceptions in your post:

1. Nothing will actually be removed from browsers. The changes such as with frames that you mentioned are only applicable to authors, the specification still defines how the old elements must be handled by user agents, and does so actually in much greater detail than HTML4 did to improve interoperability. Browsers will always still render existing pages, and pages designed with HTML4, 3, 2, common browser extensions and tag soup.

2. This will impact XHTML as well, as XHTML is nothing more than an XML-serialisation of HTML4. The XML-serialisation of HTML5 is tentatively dubbed ‘XHTML5’, but anyway, the namespace will be the same, and when browsers implement HTML5 you will be able to use all the HTML5 functionality in XHTML as well.

~Grauw

2
Shelley - 7:01 am 6/19/2007

Grauw, note my reference to about.com and joking about how it will impact on them — I'm aware that these items are not going away. It's the 'authors not using part' that I'm a bit skeptical about.

Thanks to all those who have contributed to the discussion. Comments are now closed, but you can contact the author of the post directly.

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