Next Generation HTML: The Big Picture
June 7th 1998
Last Modified:
March 2, 2009
In the first article in this XML series, entitled
XML: Structuring Data for the Web: An Introduction,
we saw that XML (eXtensible Markup Language) is really a trio of
specifications -- XML syntax, XLL (XML Linking Language), and XSL
(eXtensible Style Language). We also briefly examined a number of
XML vocabularies -- languages based upon the syntax of XML, such
as MathML (Mathematical Markup Language), SMIL (Synchronized
Multimedia Integration Language), and RDF (Resource Description
Framework).
In this article, we focus on the way in which the various
specifications fit into the Big Picture of the efforts of the
World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).
Next Generation HTML encompasses
Cascading Style Sheets,
HTML 4.0, the
Document Object Model,
Dynamic HTML, the
XML family
of specifications, and the many specifications based on
XML, such as
RDF, SMIL,
and MathML. When we read about a W3C specification, it is useful
to understand its role in the larger picture. To help you visualize
the Big Picture, we introduce a graphic which doubles as an
imagemap to whisk you directly to pages containing details about
each topic. A color coding key in the imagemap informs you of the
current status of each W3C document. We've also included an acronym
expansion chart because the buzz words are far too many to remember.
The W3C Process
The Big Picture
- updated January 30, 1999
Markup Languages
Scripting Efforts
- updated October 3, 1998
Style Sheets
Linking Efforts
XML Applications (Vocabularies)
Netscape and Microsoft
Acronym Expander - updated October 3, 1998
Next Generation HTML: The Big Picture
Next Generation HTML: The W3C Process
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