16 Chapter 1—Overview of the New Web Standard
<body>
<p>Hello world!</p>
</body>
</html>You probably cannot see much difference between this and the HTML version.
That is due to the fact that we have not made full use of the permitted level of
simplification in HTML code for the first Hello world! example. In lazy HTML5,
this markup would have been sufficient:<!DOCTYPE html>
<meta charset=utf-8>
<title>Hello World! in HTML5</title>
<P>Hello world!We can leave out quotation marks for attributes if the attribute value does not
contain any spaces or any of the symbols " ' > / =. Tags can be written in up-
percase or lowercase; sometimes they can even be omitted as in the preceding
example. If you are not sure, the validator can once again help you out. Regard-
ing implementation of the new HTML5 parser, Mozilla has taken the lead. Henri
Sivonen’s Parser, which is also the basis of http://validator.nu, is included with
Firefox 4.1.4 Can I Start Using HTML5 Now?
Yes and no. HTML5 is not finished yet by any stretch of the imagination, but un-
like previous practice, the development of the HTML5 standard is taking place
hand in hand with its implementation. Who would have thought that Internet
Explorer 9 (IE9) would offer SVG and Canvas, or that Google would start offering
HTML5 videos on YouTube? Many of the new features can be used now, provid-
ed you can choose your browser. HTML5 can be used in a company’s internal in-
tranet as well as on your private homepage that only selected friends can access.
With Firefox, Chrome, Opera, and Safari, four great browsers are already sup-
porting a wide range of HTML5, and IE9 has finally ended Microsoft’s long hesi-
tation in supporting web standards in 2011. Browser manufacturers and their
developers are now actively participating in forming the standard. They imple-
ment new specification drafts first in test versions as proof of concept and then
post their feedback and suggestions for improvements in the WHATWG or the
W3C. This makes them important parts of the development cycle. Anything that
cannot be implemented is removed from the specification, whereas other com-
ponents are adapted and finally implemented.