[WEB4LIB] What's next after HTML?

[Raymond Wood]

On Tue, Nov 19, 2002 at 09:56:30AM -0800, Kathy Gaynor remarked:
> I've been trying to keep an eye on issues regarding XML, CSS,
> Javascript, etc.  I was wondering if there was any consensus
> on steps websites should be taking or directions in which they
> should be moving.  Probably 99% of our web pages
> (<http://library.webster.edu>) are straight HTML.  Should I be
> gradually switching these to Cascading Style Sheets?  Should I
> be adding closing tags (e.g. </p>) and cleaning up other code
> to conform to XML?  Should we change our document type
> definitions?

These are questions I have asked myself as well.  These are my
opinions, and I'd be interested in the opinions of others  :)

o Aim for HTML 4.01 Transitional or XHTML.
o CSS are a good thing.
o Closing tags (and lower case tags) are recommended to prepare
  for eventual migration to XHTML or XML.
o I've been going with doctype HTML 4.01 Transitional, most
  because I like to hedge my bets  ;>

> It's so easy just to sit back and ignore all these
> developments since most have indicated that plain HTML pages
> will continue to work for some time.  I'm concerned, however,
> that there are steps a responsible website developer (albeit
> an amateur) should be taking in preparation for things to
> come.  Much like the steps taken to insure Y2K compliance, I
> don't want to wake up on the future's equivalent of Jan. 1,
> 2000 and find I missed the boat.
> 
> Thanks for your advice.  I'm feeling technologically
> vulnerable these days as my car's battery died on Sunday,  I
> have a runaway bathroom faucet gushing like a geyser that I
> can't fix myself, and I apparently blew some circuit in the
> master bath and now half the lights in the bedroom won't work.
> Forget the XML--does anyone know a good electrician in St.
> Louis?

Full moon blues?

Cheers,
Raymond