This post will explain a brief history of HTML.
What is HTML?
HTML is a Hypertext Markup language that is an essential component of the internet. It is not a programming language. This markup language is utilized to make web pages. HTML can be compared to the layout, design, or skeleton of a web page. The entire web page is constructed from HTML building blocks or elements.
HTML Elements (HTML building blocks)
HTML building blocks are known as HTML tags or elements. An element instructs the browser how to display a web page’s specific section. For instance, the “<p>” tag instructs the browser to show the text inside the tag as a paragraph.
HTML has a brief history. HTML has been developing over time as the internet has developed at a breakneck speed. When HTML was developed, it had a few tags. Many features were added with time. Today, there are interactive and dynamic applications on the internet.
History of HTML
In 1993, Tim Berners-Lee invented a system for connecting electronic documents. He developed the first iteration of “HTML” with the intention of developing a language that would allow document authors to connect various texts. Each version has made it possible for users to create web pages in a much simpler and more attractive manner. Along with these, to create very effective sites, HTML’s revised standards and specifications are implemented.
HTML 2.0 was made public in 1995. HTML 4.01 is the most popular HTML version that was released in late 1999. Since that time, HTML has been continuously adding features and functionalities. So now, there are many versions of HTML.
Let’s discuss them briefly.
HTML Versions
The HTML versions are explained in the given table:
| HTML Versions | Goals |
| HTML 1.0 | Released year: 1993
The goal is to share information that could be accessed through web browsers. |
| HTML 2.0 | Released year: 1995
It has all the characteristics of HTML 1.0 and a few more. It has remained a standard markup language since January 1997. |
| HTML 3.0 | Released year: 1997
It offered improved new HTML features that provided webmasters with more powerful capabilities when designing web pages. |
| HTML 4.01 | Released year: 1999
The HTML 4.01 version was successful and is now available and used globally. |
| HTML 5 | Released year: 2014
HTML 5 is the fifth major version, recommended by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). It refers to an expanded version of HTML 4.01. |
HTML Evolving Features
In the beginning, HTML was a simple idea of sharing files between researchers from different devices. It has evolved and is still changing in response to the world’s changing needs and technological advancements.
In addition, audio and video tags are the most popular success of HTML5. Not only are the new versions providing additional tags, but they are also increasing efficiency and speed. HTML5 is the fastest from the earlier versions. With HTML5, adding video is incredibly fast and doesn’t require creating a video player. It also gives the client a better, more affordable solution while saving the developer’s time.
Future of HTML
HTML is a valuable language for expressing the content of the web. In other words, we can say that the future of HTML, CSS, and any other technology that uses DOM is good as long as they support it.
As technology is emerging quickly, the future of HTML lies in its ability to adapt to change, offer new features to developers, and operate on a variety of devices. In a perfect world, HTML would have a more straightforward syntax and coherent semantics for content flow.
Conclusion
The front end of the web documents is designed using the markup language HTML. It serves as a website’s skeleton. Sir Tim Berners-Lee created a system for tying together electronic documents in 1993. By adding more features to the earlier versions HTML is evolving. There are numerous HTML versions available today. This post has explained the history of HTML.
