W3C Relaunches HTML Activity
http://www.w3.org/2007/03/html-pressrelease

http://www.w3.org/ -- 7 March 2007 -- Recognizing the importance of an open forum for the development of the predominant Web content technology, W3C today invites browser vendors, application developers, and content designers to help design the next version of HTML by participating in the new W3C HTML Working Group. Based on significant input from the design and developer communities within and outside the W3C Membership, W3C has chartered the group to conduct its work in public and to solicit broad participation from W3C Members and non-Members alike.

"HTML started simply, with structured markup, no licensing requirements, and the ability to link to anything. More than anything, this simplicity and openness has led to its tremendous and continued success," explained Tim Berners-Lee, W3C director and inventor of HTML. "It's time to revisit the standard and see what we can do to meet the current community needs, and to do so effectively with commitments from browser manufacturers in a visible and open way."

The Evolution of HTML

After the publication of HTML 4, and following a 1998 Workshop, W3C set forth to turn HTML into an XML-based format, called XHTML, due to the benefits of XML formats. The first full XHTML Recommendation was issued in early 2000. But due to the significant legacy of Web content that is some variant of HTML, traditional browser vendors moved slowly to adopt XHTML. This, in turn, has meant little motivation for content developers to adopt XHTML for the traditional desktop environment. Leaders in the Web developer and design communities therefore urged W3C to renew its commitment to HTML by adding new features (starting with the HTML 4 standard) in a manner that is consistent with community practice and backward compatible. W3C will help ensure interoperability by making robust test suites and validation services available to the community for future technologies.

W3C is pleased to relaunch work on HTML with strong support from its Members and more staff resources (including people and hardware). W3C has tailored the HTML Working Group Charter to enable active participation from browser vendors, applications designers, and content developers, whose joint participation is key to the success of the future HTML.
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Несколько вещей, которые хочется отметить особо:

*  W3C открыто и конкретно заявляет, что это событие является следствием проблем с внедрением XHTML:

          due to the significant legacy of Web content that is some variant of HTML, traditional browser vendors moved slowly to adopt XHTML. This, in turn, has meant little motivation for content developers to adopt XHTML for the traditional desktop environment

* Новая рабочая группа HTML будет очень открытой: частные лица приглашаются в качестве “приглашенных экспертов” без денег и не будучи в составе какой-нибудь корпорации. В статье на блоге WHAT WG подробнее написано как вступить в HTML WG.

* Страница HTML прямо ссылается на спецификацию Web Apps 1.0 — тот самый WHAT WG’шный “HTML5″.

* И W3C, и WHAT WG собираются делать одну спецификацию, то есть в зоопарке из разных HTML5 никто не заинтересован. Кстати стоит заметить, что WHAT WG с самого создания заявляла, что их задача-максимум — как раз передать разработанные группой стандарты в W3C.

* Пользователям XHTML расстраиваться не надо: с XML-вариантом HTML’а ничего не случится. Новый стандарт будет определять структуру и семантику языка при наличии двух равноправных синтаксисов сериализации: HTML5 и XHTML5.

* То, что нынче называется “XHTML2″, официально признается другим языком, но и от его разработки W3C не отказывается:

W3C will continue its technical work on the language at the same time it considers rebranding the technology to clarify its independence and value in the marketplace.