XHTML or HTML 5: Which will it be?

[Clint1]

Looking for some kind of a "contact" link at YouTube, I came across this webpage where they mentioned HTML5: YouTube HTML5 Demo (http://www.youtube.com/html5). I haven't heard much about it lately, all I've been hearing is XHTML (but of course I'm not a "webmaster", I'm just a "site owner" of a few websites who does the coding). If you look at the source code of the page, you'll of course see HTML and not XHTML code.

(I find it odd that while the page "looks" exactly the same in the latest version of FF as their other pages, there's no functionality to the video clip. Yet they are extorting YT visitors into using the latest version of FF [or Chrome or IE8]. :confused: While the area at right where you see other related clips appears to be just for show since they all have the same URL's, the main video should play as per the clip info at the right, and ratings comments).

People are usually told to make their new websites or webpages in XHTML because that's the "new thing". So is it XHTML or HTML 5? Is HTML 5 dying out before it's actually here? Should site owners do their new websites/webpages in XHTML or HTML 5?

[danlefree]

People are usually told to make their new websites or webpages in XHTML because that's the "new thing". So is it XHTML or HTML 5?

Check out A List Apart's Preview of HTML 5 (http://www.alistapart.com/articles/previewofhtml5) and Get Ready for HTML 5 (http://www.alistapart.com/articles/get-ready-for-html-5/) articles (A List Apart is, after all, "for people who make websites" - not necessarily "webmasters").



Is HTML 5 dying out before it's actually here? Should site owners do their new websites/webpages in XHTML or HTML 5?

HTML 5 (http://dev.w3.org/html5/spec/Overview.html) will probably be the new standard (though it, in many ways, represents more of a quirks-mode (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quirks_mode) kludge) when the specification is completed.

XHTML 2.0 (http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml2/) may co-exist with HTML 5 as a "strict" variant for more advanced applications, though I doubt it will be received with the same enthusiasm as its counterpart if it makes it off the drawing board - there is a fair amount of inertia on the part of the content publishers and browser developers which will forestall the widespread adoption of strictly-typed XML (just look at how far XSLT (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XSLT) has spread).

[Clint1]

Thanks Dan I'll read over that.

[DaveSawers]

It probably doesn't matter what the standard is. The number of poorly coded non-standard sites that are currently supported by browsers will doubtless continue to be supported by them.

Whatever you code in, you will still have to test it out on the available browsers.

[weegillis]

I don't see HTML 5 ever becoming a standard in the normal sense, that is, as a publishing standard for normal web documents. The existing methods will not need to evolve any further, given the general constraints of non-Web 2.0.

From the application point of view, though, it has more than just a little potential to succeed. But why shouldn't it? That's the medium it's meant to 'open up.' Creating not just documents, but interactive, network friendly application based interfaces.

[crackabottle]

HTML5 is the proposed next standard for HTML 4.01, XHTML 1.0 & DOM level 2 HTML...

[mehak]

I think html5 will be next standard for html 4.01. Its just awesome and is integrated with several futuristic features.
You can also check some of its features in several online tutorials like "thehtml5tutorials" and seek more information in same context.

Thankyou.

[weegillis]

A long way to go... HTML5 and CSS3 are stirring up a whole new round of browser wars. Any significant 'standard' will be years down the road if the makers can't get together on a single methodology. At present we are faced with, "Best viewed in..." (likely Chrome, at present). If publishing to the WWW broader audience, this specification would not be the one to use unless one has taken it down a peg or two to more closely conform with HTML 4.01 (or XHTML).