W3C Confirms May 2011 for HTML5 Last Call, Targets 2014 for HTML5 Standard

W3C Confirms May 2011 for HTML5 Last Call, Targets 2014 for HTML5 Standard

http://www.w3.org/ -- 14 February 2011 -- W3C today extended the charter 
of the HTML Working Group with clear milestones for HTML5, the 
cornerstone of W3C's Open Web Platform for application development. In 
May 2011, the Working Group will advance HTML5 to "Last Call," an 
invitation to communities inside and outside W3C to confirm the 
technical soundness of the specification. The group will then shift 
focus to gathering implementation experience. W3C is developing a 
comprehensive test suite to achieve broad interoperability for the full 
specification by 2014, the target date for Recommendation.

"Even as innovation continues, advancing HTML5 to Recommendation 
provides the entire Web ecosystem with a stable, tested, interoperable 
standard," said Jeff Jaffe, W3C CEO. "The decision to schedule the HTML5 
Last Call for May 2011 was an important step in setting industry 
expectations. Today we take the next step, announcing 2014 as the target 
for Recommendation."

Today there are more than 50 organizations participating in the HTML 
Working Group, all committed to Royalty-Free licensing under the W3C 
Patent Policy. There are more than 400 individuals from all over the 
world in the group, including designers, content authors, accessibility 
experts, and representatives from browser vendors, authoring tool 
vendors, telecoms, equipment manufacturers, and other IT companies.

Demand for Web Interoperability Greater Than Ever

The Web has become a critical global resource that is transforming all 
industries, including mobile, television, gaming, publishing, and health 
care. Forward-thinking industries are turning to the Web as the platform 
of choice for integrating diverse devices, services, and business 
models. As the audience for the platform grows, so does the need for 
interoperability among the many technologies of W3C's Open Web Platform 
including HTML5, CSS, SVG, WOFF, various APIs, and more. Nearly all of 
these technologies are already in use, at varying degrees of maturity 
and implementation.

Because HTML5 anchors the Open Web Platform, W3C has started work on a 
comprehensive test suite to ensure the high levels of interoperability 
that diverse industries demand. W3C invites test suite contributions 
from the community, which will enable software implementers to fulfill 
W3C's implementation criteria and make it easier to create content and 
applications. The testing effort will play an important role in the 
timely completion of the standard.

Stable Standards Drive Innovation with Confidence

Stable standards play an important role in the broad deployment of 
technology. As reference points, they make it easier for large numbers 
of independent implementers to achieve interoperability across diverse 
platforms, devices, and industries. This is particularly important in 
the rich ecosystem of HTML producers and consumers, which includes 
authoring tools, browsers, email clients, security applications, content 
management systems, tools to analyze or convert content, assistive 
technologies, and unanticipated applications. Stable standards with 
community support give developers and implementers confidence that what 
they build today will continue to work in the future. W3C's consensus 
process, Royalty-Free patent policy, and commitment to building a 
comprehensive test suite will make HTML5 an important standard across 
multiple industries, for years to come.

As part of the mission of the W3C HTML Working Group to continue the 
evolution of HTML, W3C Director Tim Berners-Lee also encourages the 
group to begin discussion of requirements for future versions of HTML.

Learn more about the W3C HTML Working Group and read the HTML5 FAQ.

EDITOR's NOTES:
===============
Web Resources:
--------------
This press release:
   - in English: http://www.w3.org/2011/02/htmlwg-pr.html.en
   - in other languages: http://www.w3.org/Press/Releases-2011#x2011-htmlwg

Charter of the HTML Working Group:
     http://www.w3.org/2007/03/HTML-WG-charter.html

HTML5 FAQ:
     http://www.w3.org/html/wiki/FAQs

Media Contacts:
---------------
Contact Americas, Australia —
     Ian Jacobs, <ij@w3.org>, +1.718.260.9447
Contact Europe, Africa and the Middle East —
     Marie-Claire Forgue, <mcf@w3.org>, +33 6 76 86 33 41

About the World Wide Web Consortium:
-----------------------------------
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is an international consortium where 
Member organizations, a full-time staff, and the public work together to 
develop Web standards. W3C primarily pursues its mission through the 
creation of Web standards and guidelines designed to ensure long-term 
growth for the Web. Over 325 organizations are Members of the 
Consortium. W3C is jointly run by the MIT Computer Science and 
Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (MIT CSAIL) in the USA, the European 
Research Consortium for Informatics and Mathematics (ERCIM) 
headquartered in France and Keio University in Japan, and has additional 
Offices worldwide. For more information see http://www.w3.org/

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Received on Monday, 14 February 2011 14:18:38 UTC