HTML & CSS: The Good Parts

Chapter 4. Developing a Healthy Relationship with Standards

The Web as practiced is not the same as the Web as specified. While the Web is built on standards and specifications, adherence to the rules is sporadic at best. Software developers often extend functionality, leave out functionality, or implement things incorrectly. Web developers often create sites that more or less conform to the specifications, but they may also tune their work to run on a particular browser, with all of its idiosyncrasies, or leave their slightly broken markup at the mercy of a browser’s rendering engine.

Ignoring or abandoning standards to focus exclusively on browser results leads to a maze of constant testing on every imaginable browser, and possibly a powerless sense of resignation when you recognize the inevitability of alienated site visitors. On the other hand, sticking to the spirit, the letter, and the fine details of specifications may limit your ability to reach visitors through the tools they have, rather than the tools you wish they had. Fortunately, there is a middle way.

The Broad Landscape of Web-Related Standards

While HTML and CSS are the focus of this book, there are a number of significant standards that relate directly to web development. These include:

HTTP 1.x

Hypertext Transfer Protocol—already explained in brief earlier—claims both the W3C and the IETF as custodians. This partnership is appropriate, as the IETF is the body responsible for the ongoing development of the protocols ...