I am writing
about HTML because many
people are unaware of proper HTML and web design. Those who
know proper HTML do not
know proper web design. The difference here is like if I wrote the following
sentence: The dog jumped over the tree.
It is a proper sentence
grammatically, but it does not make sense either by itself or in the context
of this paragraph. Also, the many books currently available on HTML are for older versions of
HTML. Very few books
address the latest versions of HTML, XHTML. The way most
HTML is taught is
entirely incorrect.
Correct HTML is semantic, not syntactic. This means that it conveys meaning; for example, something is a heading, not that it is black, bold, 24 point Times New Roman. Style can still be used but it has its own technologies which will be briefly covered. Correct HTML is that which is written to reach the most people and is easily managed. Think about the last time you printed a web site. Did half of the page not print? If this was the case, then the web master, or the author of a web page, did not use proper HTML. Proper HTML is resolution-independent. This means that you can view the page on a screen, PDA, or print it and it will appear correctly.
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) says so. The W3C was founded by the creator of the World Wide Web, Tim Bernes-Lee. It is composed of representatives from many computer companies from Apple to IBM to Microsoft. They meet in groups and come up with standards that can be easily implemented and allow authors to reach the largest audience. Actually, individuals can take part in standards making process so these standards are what you want. To show that this book is a reference to proper HTML, I will include pertinent parts of the actual standard as they become necessary.