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HTML5

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HTML5 is a special language used to build the web. It is a markup language that helps structure and present documents on the World Wide Web.

HTML5-logo
HTML5-logo

This language tells a web browser how to show text and images. It was designed to be easy for people to read. It also makes sure computers and devices can understand it too. HTML5 was a major step forward for the internet. It helped make web pages much more useful for everyone.

This language works by using many different parts to handle media. It includes new ways to show video and sound without extra tools.

HTML5 APIs and related technologies taxonomy and status
HTML5 APIs and related technologies taxonomy and status

It uses special elements like `<video>` and `<audio>` to play movies and music. It also added support for math formulas and drawings called SVG. New parts like `<section>` and `<article>` help organize the structure of a page. These tools allow web apps to become very complex and interactive. This makes the web feel more like a collection of helpful apps.

Groups of experts worked hard to create these rules. The Web Hypertext Application Technology Working Group, or WHATWG, started in 2004. This group includes people from Apple, Google, Mozilla, and Microsoft. They wanted to make sure new technology worked with older software. This is called being backward-compatible. Ian Hickson from Google and David Hyatt from Apple helped write early drafts. The first public version came out on 22 January 2008. Later, in October 2014, it became an official recommendation.

There was a big debate about how the web should work. For a long time, two groups had different ideas. The W3C group liked to release fixed versions like HTML 5.1 or 5.2. The WHATWG group preferred a "living standard." A living standard is never truly finished because it is always being updated. In 2019, the two groups agreed to work together. Now, the HTML Living Standard is the main set of rules to follow. This helps keep the web working the same way for everyone.

HTML5 changed how we use our devices every day. In the past, people often used a tool called Adobe Flash for videos. A famous letter from Steve Jobs in 2010 said Flash was no longer needed. He believed that new standards like HTML5 would win the mobile era. Eventually, Adobe stopped making Flash for mobile devices in 2011. By the end of 2020, they stopped supporting it entirely. Because of HTML5, we can now watch videos on phones and tablets easily. It made the mobile internet possible for all of us.

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