[WEB4LIB] Future of HTML

[David Merchant]

With HTML 4.0, HTML was declared "matured" which means, I believe, that
further changes will not be as quick or as drastic as all previous changes.
 Right now the emphasis is more on Cascading Style Sheets and after that,
XML.  XML is developing slower than I'd like, in some ways, but in other
ways it could be looked as it is being carefully developed (but I think
that would generate a full fledge debate which I'm not up to).   Having
said that, browser implementation of DHTML hasn't "matured" yet, IMHO.
Cross-platform development of a DHTML web page can be a bear, and so many
of those "big boys'" sites that are implementing it, causes problems when I
visit with my 3.0 browser, or with a Mac, or.... etc.  I think that a
PUBLIC website, one that targets the _general public_ should be very
careful and think twice or thrice about going hot and heavy on DHTML.  A
very very good website can be done with "just" 3.0, or with some of the
improvements of HTML 4.0 without really getting into DHTML or CSS or XML.
Yes, it depends upon what you are trying to do, what your particular page
is all about.  Sometimes CSS or DHTML _is_ the best way to present such and
such information or to produce such and such a entertainment game or
artistic expression.  I.E., A painting done in blue would lose some of its
affects on a monochrome monitor, you sometimes have to give up some of your
audience for the integrity of the piece (and not paint only in green or
yellow for the monochrome monitors).    And some astronomical explanations
may be better done with some interactive DHTML site.  Etc.  CSS, DHTML, XML
are all developed and being further developed because there are real needs
for them.  I don't want to sound like some CSS-phobic or DHTML-phobic person.

There is an article entitled "The Increasing Conservatism of Web Users"
which may be a useful read:

http://www.useit.com/alertbox/980322.html

TTFN,
David
Systems Librarian, Louisiana Tech University  <www.latech.edu/tech/library/>
javascript list administrator  <www.mountaindragon.com/javascript>
HTML Examples webmaster <www.mountaindragon.com/html/>
Personal Page <www.mountaindragon.com/merchant/>