What Is HTML5?

HTML5

What Is HTML5?

HTML5 is a specification (see http://dev.w3.org/html5/spec/) under development by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). As we write this book, the HTML5 specification
is officially a Working Draft, which means it may go through additional revisions before
becoming a recommendation. The recommendation will then go through a formal
approval process, resulting in a specific version of the markup language.

Meanwhile, independent from the W3C, the Web Hypertext Application Technology
Working Group (WHATWG) also pursues development of the HTML specification
(see http://whatwg.org/html).

Notice I didn’t mention a version number. That’s because the WHATWG recently
decided to change tack and drop versioning entirely. A “living standard” is now how
WHATWG defines HTML (see http://blog.whatwg.org/html-is-the-new-html5). This
new development model means that HTML is defined according to how it’s evolving,
not as a version tied to features in a “snapshot” of time.