Spreading the Word on XHTML

Mathew Schwartz   Today’s Top Stories    or  Other Internet Business Stories  

Six Support Issues That Keep Execs Awake at Night Sign up to receive Security Resource Alerts

June 19, 2000 (Computerworld) -- A new standard is promising to smooth the transition from HTML to XML. XHTML is a blending of HTML and XML. The first iteration, XHTML Version 1.0, lets Web sites migrate to XML while allowing their content to remain visible in old browsers.
XHTML redraws the lines blurred by browser makers. HTML is once again meant to be a structural language - tags denote headings and where paragraphs begin and end. Style sheets handle presentation: the placement of items on a page, font and color.
Senior writer Mathew Schwartz talked with Steven Pemberton, chairman of the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) HTML working group, the developer of XHTML, to ask about the latest developments. Pemberton is also a researcher at the National Research Institute for Mathematics and Computer Science in the Netherlands.

Q: What was the impetus behind creating XHTML?
A: We have to see why it was created. Back when Microsoft entered the browser wars, they started creating their own tags in HTML, just as Netscape had been. Now you had diverging HTML languages. To end those battles, the W3C decided to create a language where it was perfectly OK to invent tags and thus give the greatest flexibility to people who wanted to create Web content. That was XML. With style sheets, (cascading style sheets and Extensible Style Language), you don't need HTML anymore.

Q: Why have HTML or XHTML at all? Why not just go to XML?
A: We had a workshop in San Francisco in May 1998 to see if the industry still had a need for HTML. First, even though you have the freedom to use any tag in your pages, people didn't want to have to invent new languages; they were happy to stick to standards and not invent their own or maybe just add a little. Second, HTML does have some advantages in that you and search engines know what an HTML tag is - that it is the most important heading on a page - and search engines can do a better job of searching an HTML page because they know what the tags mean. So, people wanted HTML that would partially combine with XML. There's a lot of advantage going to XML, because it makes translations from your database to viewing something on the Web easier, for instance, and it can aid device independence.

Q: Are XHTML 1.0 pages larger than HTML pages?
A: Mostly smaller. We've recoded major sites using style sheets and markup methods, and the sites were smaller. That's because if you do XHTML, the style sheets often only have to be downloaded once for your whole site, and you don't need GIFs to represent text.

Q: Do browser makers intentionally subvert standards?
A: I think it's a learning curve for everyone. I've noticed problems as well - XML gets defined in a certain way, but then how does a reader interpret the definition? There can be confusion; it often takes a few iterations to get it right, especially with Java, cascading style sheets and plug-ins. My hope is browser makers don't say, "Sorry, we've already built products around these mistakes, we don't want to change it now."

Q: Will XHTML work on older browsers?
A: Some. In the short term, people have to do browser sniffing (version detection) if they want to use the fancy stuff in (cascading style sheets). A lot of sites have to do browser sniffing anyway, because Netscape and Internet Explorer have different implementations of JavaScript. There are work-arounds now, but hopefully they won't be necessary in the future.

Print this Story

Send Us Feedback

E-mail this Story

Digg this Story

Slashdot this Story

"Treehugger had a brilliant piece a few weeks about the..." Read more... "It's IT Blogwatch: in which Carl Icahn tag-teams with Steve Ballmer in the fight for control of Yahoo! Not to..." Read more... Read more E-Business & Web 2.0 posts or See all Blogs

DNS hole prompts synchronized patching effort by IT vendors Microsoft plugs nine holes in Windows, DNS, SQL Symantec warns of new Word attack More top stories...

Microsoft sets XP SP3 automatic download for Thursday Don't give Google a free pass on data collection, privacy advocates say after YouTube ruling XP SP3 to reach most users 'shortly,' says Microsoft

This old laptop: Revitalizing an aging notebook on the cheap All it takes is a couple hours and about $125 to breathe new life into an old laptop. Here's how. Bill Gates moves on Is Microsoft's Golden Age over? What are Gates' most memorable quotes? Find out in Computerworld's complete coverage of the end of the Bill Gates era at Microsoft. Five things you should never tell your boss There are some things your CIO definitely doesn't want to hear. Also don't miss the flipside, Five things you should always tell your boss. Hands-On: Firefox 3 fixes what's broke and keeps what's right With its latest version, Mozilla's browser continues to raise the bar for what Web browsers should be. Windows Vista A to Z Reviews, analyses, how-tos, visual tours, hot issues and predictions about Microsoft's new OS. More Continuing Coverage After 9/11: Homeland SecurityAsk a Premier 100 IT LeaderBlackBerry Legal BattleData Security BreachesElectronic VotingFirefoxH-1B VisasHP's Boardroom ScandalHandheld DevicesHurricane Katrina AftermathMicrosoft Legal IssuesMicrosoft's VistaOpen SourceRFID TechnologySCO's Linux FightSarbanes-Oxley ActSpamVoice Over IPWi-FiWindows Meta File VulnerabilityWindows XP Service Pack 3 IT Careers 2010 Four years from now, the IT field will be a vastly different place. Will you be ready? More Special Reports Premier 100 IT Leaders 2007 Best in Class2006 Computerworld Horizon Awards2006 Premier 100 IT Leaders2006 Salary Survey2007 Best Places to Work in IT2007 IT Forecast2007 Premier 100 IT Leaders40 Years of ComputerworldASPs, Take TwoBest Places to Work in IT 2003Best Places to Work in IT 2004Best Places to Work in IT 2005Best Places to Work in IT 2006Business Intelligence Home RunsBusiness Intelligence: Smarter BIBusiness Intelligence: The Future of BICRM Goes VerticalCRM: Sober CRMCareer Planning Guide 2005Careers: IT Profession 2010Computerworld Horizon Awards 2005Data Management: Mining for GemsData Management: Taming Data ChaosDevelopment: Hard-Workin' Web SitesDevelopment: New Tools New ChoicesDevelopment: The New World of Application DevelopmentDevelopment: The Web Services TsunamiDevelopment: Web Services HurdlesDisaster Recovery: Preparing for the WorstE-commerce Grows UpE-mail/Groupware: Big DecisionsFaces of Mobile ITForecast 2006Global MobileHardware: Multiple Cores, Multiple ChallengesHardware: On-Demand Un-HypedHardware: The Shape of Things to ComeHorizon Awards: 10 Cool Cutting Edge TechnologiesIT Management: Guide to Managing VendorsIT Management: Navigating Global ITIT Management: Recovery AheadIT Management: The Future of ITIT Management: The Resourceful Project ManagerInnovative Technology Awards 2004Management: Reinventing ITMicrosoft in TransitionMobile/Wireless Leaders and LaggardsMobile/Wireless: The Untethered WorkerMobile/Wireless: Tiny Gadgets, Huge CostsNetwork Management: Taking ControlNetworking: Turbulence Ahead!Networking: VoIP Goes MainstreamOperating Systems: In the Slow LaneOperating Systems: Linux Goes GlobalOperating Systems: Should You Nix Unix?Outsourcing: Offshore Buyer's GuideOutsourcing: Outsourcing DangersPremier 100 IT Leaders 2004 Best in ClassPremier 100 IT Leaders 2005 Best in ClassROI: Do the Math!Salary Survey 2003Salary Survey 2004Salary Survey 2005Security Action PlanSecurity: Compliance HeadachesSecurity: Proactive SecuritySecurity: Risk and RewardSecurity: Tips From Security ProsSouped-up SecurityStorage: Battling ComplexityStorage: Cheap & Secure Data StoresStorage: Stretching Your Storage DollarsStorage: The Lean Storage MachineStorage: The New Rules of StorageStorage: The Ultimate Backup GuideSupply Chain: Missing LinksSupply Chain: RFID Reality CheckThe Business of SecurityWeb 2.0 SecurityWireless: Wireless At Work All Zones Application Performance Zone Business Continuity Zone Data Center Management Zone Enterprise-Class Security Zone The File Data Management Zone Grid Computing on Windows Zone Security Management Zone ITIL Best Practices Zone The SAS Zone Storage Virtualization Zone Business Intelligence and Analytics Zone See your link here

Bringing Order and Security to your Mobile Workforce: Corporate Mobility Policy and Device Management Bringing Order and Security to your Mobile Workforce: Corporate Mobility Policy and Device Management LIVE WEBCAST This webcast will air on Thursday, May 8th. Go to the webcast  Adventist Health Improves Document Access with Single Supplier Solution Download this white paper, free, compliments of Kodak! (Source: Kodak) Until 2003, Adventist Health System- headquartered in Orlando, FL-relied on a paper-based filing system to manage medical records. The not-for-profit healthcare system, with over 45,000 employees, wanted to improve access to patient records at all of its 40 hospitals in 10 states. And when they transitioned to an electronic medical records system, the organization wanted to work with the best one-vendor solution for scanners. Download this white paper  Computerworld Technology Briefing: Meetings @ the Speed of Business Download this Technology Briefing now, compliments of Microsoft! (Source: Microsoft) For large organizations, Web conferencing gives a major boost to collaboration among far-flung offices. For smaller companies, experts say Web conferencing is no longer a luxury but a necessity for everything from webinars to customer presentations. But the real value lies in saving soft costs and in increases in productivity. Download this executive briefing  White Papers Read up on the latest ideas and technologies from companies that sell hardware, software and services. Virtualization Analysis for VMware A Guide to Understanding Messaging Archiving Archiving Compliance with Sunbelt Exchange Archiver View more whitepapers

• DNS hole prompts synchronized patching effort by IT vendors
• Microsoft plugs nine holes in Windows, DNS, SQL
• Symantec warns of new Word attack
• More top stories 

Computerworld Technology Briefing: Meetings @ the Speed of Business For large organizations, Web conferencing gives a major boost to collaboration among far-flung offices. For smaller companies, experts say Web conferencing is no longer a luxury but a necessity for everything from webinars to customer presentations. But the real value lies in saving soft costs and in increases in productivity. Download this briefing

Columnist Bert Latamore digs deep to analyze the latest networking trends. Click here to read the latest column by Bert Latamore

Accelerate your pursuit of perfection For almost 80 years, Kodak has been helping banks, insurance companies, healthcare providers, government agencies and other businesses produce billions of document images. So Kodak is uniquely positioned to know and deliver–what customers want: easy-to-use scanners that output the best possible image quality. Download this white paper now!