The term "HTML5" has become synonymous with the future of the Web
What exactly is it?
Where did it come from? Where is it going?
The first draft of HTML was created by Tim Berners-Lee & Daniel Connolly in 1993 and was introduced as "a simple format for providing linked information." But things didn't stop there. Today the W3C is working on HTML5.
It all starts with an idea. A working group of experts and interested parties work to shape the idea through a series of working drafts. Eventually, the specification reaches Last Call which means it is feature complete. But the work is not complete yet, more is needed before it finally becomes a recommendation.
First Working Draft
Creating a standard is complicated. While the process is clear, the path can be unpredictable with issues arising along the way.
Sometimes the process can involve a very large number of working draft. WebSockets has gone through over 80 working drafts and has not yet reached Last Call.
At other times a specification may never be completed. WebSQL went through a large number of working drafts, but was eventually discontinued.
If you look at the maturity across the web platform, there are varying levels of readiness and stability across the specs.
There has been some discussion about when the web platform will be ready for use. The reality is that there won't be a point in time when everything is fully ready.
Instead, as some specifications mature, new ones are added.
Interoperability is difficult, but critical. History has repeatedly shown that designers, developers and users alike suffer when browsers aren't interoperable.
The challenge with specifications is that they are long text documents that are often unintentionally ambiguous. Leading to different implementations in different browsers
The web is not standing still. As it expands, it's becoming a core part of more and more devices, from PC's to phones to TVs to cars. Developers want to reach users across all these devices.
Getting standards and interoperability right is more important than ever before. It means more time spent creating great experiences and less time spent handling inconsistencies. Everybody wins.