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What is HTML5? - Images: Japanese
Hey there, everyone!
Welcome to the HTML5 beginner's course! If this is your first time here, glad to have you. And if you've come over from another article, great to see you again. This is just a quick overview, so feel free to skim through it at your own pace.
'HTML' (HyperText Markup Language) is a 'markup language' used primarily for building websites. The full name is 'HyperText Markup Language', and it's almost always referred to simply as 'HTML'.
Now, what on earth does that mean? Let's break it down word by word.
HyperText
Translated literally, it means "super text" or "text beyond ordinary text." That might sound a bit odd, but it's actually accurate. Think of it as "text that goes beyond normal text" — text that can do more than just sit on a page.
Markup
In its original sense, "markup" refers to adding headings, paragraphs, and formatting to a document. In the web world, it specifically means tagging content with labels that give it structure and meaning.
Language
Straightforward enough — it means a language, like a communication system or a set of rules for writing.
So to put it all together in the simplest terms: HTML is "a super language that you can tag things with." And the most important concept in HTML is the 'tag'.
Let's see what makes HTML so "super" by trying one of its tags. Click the link below:
That should have taken you to Google's website.
This is called a 'hyperlink', and it's one of the things that makes HTML special.
By the way, the code behind that link looks like this:
<a href="http://www.google.co.jp/" target="_blank">Here you go</a>
The text "Here you go" is wrapped between '<a href="http://www.google.co.jp/" target="_blank">' and '</a>', and that's what creates the hyperlink. When you use tags like this, you can give content specific functionality and meaning. In this case, anything inside '<>' is a tag.
Now, what's the '5' in HTML5, you ask? It's simply the version number.
When the author first started building websites, HTML 4.01 was the standard — back in the 1990s.
After that, XHTML 1.0 came along with stricter syntax rules, and for a while both HTML 4.01 and XHTML 1.0 were used side by side. Then HTML5 arrived with a whole new set of features and quickly became the go-to standard. Today, HTML5 is really all you need to know.
That said, HTML 4.01 and XHTML 1.0 don't differ dramatically in their basic syntax and structure, so once you've got HTML5 down, the other versions won't give you much trouble. If you ever get a job fixing an older site, a quick look at the docs for that version is all you need.
Alright, that's enough for this intro. In the next article, we'll take a light look at how websites actually get displayed. See you there!
This article was written by Sakurama.
Author's beloved small mammal |
桜舞 春人 Sakurama HarutoA Tokyo-based programmer who has been creating various content since the ISDN era, with a bit of concern about his hair. A true long sleeper who generally feels unwell without at least 10 hours of sleep. His dream is to live a life where he can sleep as much as he wants. Loves games, sports, and music. Please share some hair with him. |
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