HTML5 Tutorial - Difference between HTML4 & HTML5

Differences between HTML4 & HTML5

It’s going to be a while before HTML5 is the new standard and everything HTML5 has to offer is supported by all the important browsers. If you’re a web dev, what should you do? If you’re new to the game or you’re an old pro, you eventually have to ask yourself when and how to begin transitioning over. Perhaps the first thing that you should learn and keep in mind is exactly what the differences between the two are. It’s going to be a while before HTML5 is the new standard and everything HTML5 has to offer is supported by all the important browsers. If you’re a web dev, what should you do? If you’re new to the game or you’re an old pro, you eventually have to ask yourself when and how to begin transitioning over. Perhaps the first thing that you should learn and keep in mind is exactly what the differences between the two are.

Here are ten important differences between HTML4 and HTML5

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  1. HTML5 Is a Work in Progress
  As cool as it is to see what HTML5 can do for you, it hasn’t been standardized like HTML4. You don’t have to worry about updating pages built using HTML4. It’s more than ten years old and it’s a set standard. If you jump into HTML5 with both feet, you’re going to be making updates. Elements and attributes are added and modified several times a year. Of course, this is dependent how much you depend on rich elements, but it’s certainly a risk you must take into consideration when using a fluid language. Build with HTML4, play with HTML5.
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  2. Simplified Syntax
  The simpler doctype declaration is just one of the many novelties in HTML5. Now you need to write only: and this is it. The syntax of HTML5 is compatible with HTML4 and XHTML1, but not with SGML.
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  3. The New canvas Element
  This is what killed Flash. Although it isn’t as … uh … flashy … most assume that it will eventually make Flash obsolete. Only time will tell.
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  4. The header and footer Elements
  For good or bad, HTML5 has acknowledged the new web anatomy. With HTML5, header and footer are specifically marked for such. Because of this, it is unnecessary to identify these two elements with a div tag.
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  6. New menu and figure Elements
  menu can be used for your main menu, but it can also be used for toolbars and context menus. The figure element is another way to arrange text and images.
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  7. New audio and video Elements
  Embedind audio and video has never been easier. There are also some new multimedia elements and attributes, such as , that provides text tracks for the video element. With these additions HTML5 is definitely getting more and more Web 2.0-friendly. The problem is that by the time HTML5 becomes widely accepted, Web 2.0 might be old news.
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  8. New Forms
  The new
  and elements are looking good. If you do much with forms, you may want to take a look at what these have to offer.
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  9. Kiss b and font Goodbye!
  CSS, all the time. All the time, CSS.
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  10. No More frame, center, big
  I bet you’re going to miss these.