Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML

Chapter 7. Moving to XHTML: Putting an ‘X’ into HTML

We’ve been keeping a dirty secret from you. We know you thought you bought an HTML book, but this is really an XHTML book in disguise. In fact, we’ve been teaching you mostly XHTML all along. You’re probably wondering, just what the heck is XHTML? Well, meet eXtensible HTML – otherwise known as XHTML – the next evolution of HTML. It’s leaner, meaner, and even more tuned for compatibility with browsers on a wide range of devices. In this short little chapter we’re going to get you from HTML to XHTML in three simple steps. So, turn the page, you’re almost there... (and then we’re on to CSS).

Joe: I can’t believe our manager knows what it is.

Frank: Hey guys, XHTML is the new standard for HTML. There’s not going to be an HTML 5; the new standard is XHTML 1.0.

Jim: That’s great, but do we need to be so cutting edge?

Frank: Actually, XHTML 1.0 has been around since 2000, so it’s not as cutting edge as it sounds.

Jim: What’s the “X” for? Because it sounds cool... X-Men, X-Games, X-Files, gen-X, and now X-HTML?

Frank: Good one, Jim, but no. The X in XHTML is for “eXtensible,” which is another way of saying it’s based on something called XML.

Joe: Don’t the software guys use that to store some of our data?

Frank: Yup, they sure do. XML stands for ...