Appendix A. A history of web standards

In this appendix, you’ll get a brief overview of how the web was invented and its subsequent development. You’ll also learn how standards are made by the W3C, why the Web Hypertext Application Technology Working Group (WHATWG) was formed, and the aims behind HTML5. To conclude, we’ll take a brief look at the process behind the other major standard that’s covered in this book: CSS3. None of this information is necessary to use web standards but, like many other human endeavors, web standards are a product of their history as much as they are rational technical documents. An appreciation of the history will help you understand why the standards are the way they are.

A short history of the web

In the following ...

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