HTML

Web pages use special code.

This code is called HTML. It acts like building blocks. It tells a computer where to put text. It also shows where to put pictures.

The code uses little marks called tags. These tags guide the computer. The computer reads them to show the page. You can even see videos with it. It makes the web work for everyone.

HTML is a special code for web pages.

It helps a web browser show content. A browser is a program used to see the web. HTML acts like building blocks for a page. These blocks are called HTML elements. They tell the computer how to organize text. They can also show headings, lists, and links. You can even add images or forms to a page.

To work, HTML uses marks called tags. These tags use angle brackets. Some tags introduce content. Other tags go around text to give it more info. The browser reads these tags, but it does not show them.

Tim Berners-Lee helped create HTML. He was a physicist at CERN. In 1989, he wrote a plan for a new system. He wrote the first HTML code in 1990. Today, other tools help HTML. CSS is used to set the look of a page. JavaScript is a language that helps pages act in new ways. HTML5 is a newer version. It can show video and audio easily.

This makes the web a rich place to explore.

HTML is the standard language used to create documents for the web. It is a markup language that defines the structure of web content. This means it tells a computer how to organize information. When you use a web browser, it receives HTML files from a server. The browser then turns those files into the pages you see. These pages can include text, images, and even interactive forms.

HTML is very important because it acts as the foundation for everything online.

To build a page, you use things called HTML elements. These elements are the building blocks of the whole site. They work using special marks called tags, which use angle brackets. Some tags, like <img>, just introduce an object like a picture. Other tags wrap around text to provide extra information. The browser reads these tags to understand the page, but it does not show the tags themselves.

This way, the code stays hidden while the content appears clearly.

The story of HTML began with a physicist named Tim Berners-Lee. In 1980, he worked at CERN and created a system called ENQUIRE. Later, in 1989, he proposed a new system based on the Internet. By late 1990, he had specified HTML and written the first software. He worked with a data systems engineer named Robert Cailliau to find funding. The first public description of HTML appeared in late 1991. It was a simple design that used only 18 elements.

HTML has changed many times since those early days. In 1995, the first official standard called HTML 2.0 was published. Later, HTML 4.01 became a major version in 1999. The World Wide Web Consortium, or W3C, helps maintain these standards today. They work with other groups like the WHATWG to improve the language. A very important update arrived on 28 October 2014, when HTML5 was standardized. This newer version makes it easy to show video and audio.

Think of HTML as the skeleton of a building. It provides the shape and the rooms, but it does not provide the paint. To add color and style, designers use a tool called CSS. To make the page move or react, they use a language called JavaScript. HTML handles the structure, while CSS handles the look and layout. Together, these three tools work like a team. They turn simple code into the amazing websites we use every single day.

Hypertext Markup Language, or HTML, is the standard markup language for documents designed for web browsers. It serves as the fundamental framework that defines the content and structure of web content. Without HTML, the internet as we know it would lack organization. It allows creators to denote structural semantics, which means it labels different parts of a document. For example, it identifies which text is a heading, which is a paragraph, and which is a list.

By providing this structure, HTML allows browsers to interpret and compose various materials into visible web pages.

The mechanism of HTML relies on specific building blocks called elements. These elements are delineated by tags, which are written using angle brackets. Some tags, such as <img>, act as instructions to directly introduce an object like an image into the page. Other tags, such as <p> or <h1>, surround content to provide information about it. These tags can even include sub-element tags nested within them. It is important to note that web browsers do not display the HTML tags themselves. Instead, the browser uses the tags to interpret how the content should be rendered for the user.

HTML does not work alone to create a complete web experience. It is often assisted by other technologies to handle different tasks. Cascading Style Sheets, known as CSS, is used to define the look and layout of the content. While HTML provides the structural skeleton, CSS provides the visual design. Another important partner is JavaScript, a scripting language. HTML can embed programs written in JavaScript to affect the behavior and content of a web pages.

Together, these three technologies allow for complex, interactive multimedia web pages.

The history of HTML began with the work of physicist Tim Berners-Lee. In 1980, while working as a contractor at CERN, he proposed and prototyped a system called ENQUIRE. This was intended to help CERN researchers share documents. In 1989, Berners-Lee wrote a memo proposing an Internet-based hypertext system. By late 1990, he had specified HTML and written both the browser and server software. He collaborated with Robert Cailliau, a CERN data systems engineer, to request funding for the project.

The first public description of HTML, a document titled "HTML Tags," appeared in late 1991.

Early versions of HTML were relatively simple. The initial design included only 18 elements. Most of these elements were influenced by CERN SGML, which is a documentation format used at CERN. In 1993, the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) published the first formal proposal for an HTML specification. This was an Internet Draft created by Berners-Lee and Dan Connolly. Following this, the IETF created an HTML Working Group. In 1995, this group completed HTML 2.0, which was the first specification intended to be a formal standard. Later, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) took over the maintenance of HTML standards.

HTML has undergone many significant iterations over the decades. HTML 3.2 was published as a W3C Recommendation in 1997. This version was the first to be developed and standardized exclusively by the W3C. In 1999, HTML 4.01 was published, offering variations like Strict, Transitional, and Frameset. The development of HTML eventually moved toward HTML5. Development for HTML5 began in 2004 by the Web Hypertext Application Technology Working Group (WHATWG). This was later a joint deliverable with the W3C. HTML5 was officially standardized on 28 October 2014.

Modern HTML5 represents a major shift in how the web functions. It is used to display video and audio, primarily through the <video> element used alongside JavaScript. Unlike older versions, the WHATWG also treats HTML5 as a "Living Standard." This means the standard is never truly complete and is always being updated and improved. In a living standard, new features can be added, but existing functionality is not removed. This ensures that the language evolves alongside new technology. Today, HTML remains the essential language for structuring the digital world.