Web Hypertext Application Technology Working Group
Encyclopedia
The Web Hypertext Application Technology Working Group (WHATWG) is a community of people interested in evolving HTML
and related technologies. The WHATWG was founded by individuals from Apple, the Mozilla Foundation
and Opera Software
in 2004. Since then, the editor of the WHATWG specifications, Ian Hickson
, has moved to Google
. Chris Wilson of Microsoft
was invited but did not join, citing the lack of a patent policy to ensure all specifications can be implemented on a royalty-free basis.
The WHATWG has a small, invitation-only steering committee called “Members”, which has the power to impeach the editor of the specifications. Anyone can participate as a Contributor by joining the WHATWG mailing list.
(W3C), and its decision to abandon HTML in favor of XML
-based technologies. The WHATWG mailing list was announced on 4 June 2004, two days after the initiatives of a joint Opera–Mozilla position paper had been voted down by the W3C members at the W3C Workshop on Web Applications and Compound Documents.
On 10 April 2007, the Mozilla Foundation, Apple, and Opera Software proposed that the new HTML working group of the W3C adopt the WHATWG’s HTML5 as the starting point of its work and name its future deliverable "HTML5". On 9 May 2007, the new HTML working group resolved to do that.
Additionally, there is a very early draft called Web Controls 1.0, which is not actively being developed.
HTML
HyperText Markup Language is the predominant markup language for web pages. HTML elements are the basic building-blocks of webpages....
and related technologies. The WHATWG was founded by individuals from Apple, the Mozilla Foundation
Mozilla Foundation
The Mozilla Foundation is a non-profit organization that exists to support and provide leadership for the open source Mozilla project. The organization sets the policies that govern development, operates key infrastructure and controls trademarks and other intellectual property...
and Opera Software
Opera Software
Opera Software ASA is a Norwegian software company, primarily known for its Opera family of web browsers with over 220 million users worldwide. Opera Software is also involved in promoting Web standards through participation in the W3C. The company has its headquarters in Oslo, Norway and is...
in 2004. Since then, the editor of the WHATWG specifications, Ian Hickson
Ian Hickson
Ian 'Hixie' Hickson is the author and maintainer of the Acid2 and Acid3 tests, and the Web Applications 1.0/HTML 5 specification., Sean Michael Kerner, internetnews.com, January 25, 2008 He is known as a proponent of web standards, and has played a crucial role in the development of specifications...
, has moved to Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
. Chris Wilson of Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
was invited but did not join, citing the lack of a patent policy to ensure all specifications can be implemented on a royalty-free basis.
The WHATWG has a small, invitation-only steering committee called “Members”, which has the power to impeach the editor of the specifications. Anyone can participate as a Contributor by joining the WHATWG mailing list.
History
The WHATWG was formed in response to the slow development of web standards monitored by the World Wide Web ConsortiumWorld Wide Web Consortium
The World Wide Web Consortium is the main international standards organization for the World Wide Web .Founded and headed by Tim Berners-Lee, the consortium is made up of member organizations which maintain full-time staff for the purpose of working together in the development of standards for the...
(W3C), and its decision to abandon HTML in favor of XML
XML
Extensible Markup Language is a set of rules for encoding documents in machine-readable form. It is defined in the XML 1.0 Specification produced by the W3C, and several other related specifications, all gratis open standards....
-based technologies. The WHATWG mailing list was announced on 4 June 2004, two days after the initiatives of a joint Opera–Mozilla position paper had been voted down by the W3C members at the W3C Workshop on Web Applications and Compound Documents.
On 10 April 2007, the Mozilla Foundation, Apple, and Opera Software proposed that the new HTML working group of the W3C adopt the WHATWG’s HTML5 as the starting point of its work and name its future deliverable "HTML5". On 9 May 2007, the new HTML working group resolved to do that.
Specifications
The WHATWG has been actively working on several documents.- HTML formerly known as HTML5 (formerly titled Web Applications 1.0) is the fifth major version of the HTML specification and has been adopted by the W3C as the starting point of the work of the new HTML working group. On 19 January 2011, Ian Hickson announced that the standard would now be called HTML instead of HTML5. The specification for HTML will be a living documentLiving documentA living document or dynamic document is a document which may be continually edited and updated by either a limited or unrestricted group. A simple example of a living document is an article in Wikipedia, in contrast to "dead" or "static" documents, such as an article in a single edition of the...
that will have continuous changes as necessary. - Web WorkersWeb WorkersWeb Workers define an API for running scripts, basically JavaScript, in the background independently of any user interface scripts. This allows for long-running scripts that are not interrupted by scripts that respond to clicks or other user interactions, and allows long tasks to be executed...
defines an APIApplication programming interfaceAn application programming interface is a source code based specification intended to be used as an interface by software components to communicate with each other...
that enables ECMAScriptECMAScriptECMAScript is the scripting language standardized by Ecma International in the ECMA-262 specification and ISO/IEC 16262. The language is widely used for client-side scripting on the web, in the form of several well-known dialects such as JavaScript, JScript, and ActionScript.- History :JavaScript...
to use multi-core CPUs more effectively. - MicrodataMicrodata (HTML5)Microdata is a WHATWG HTML specification used to nest semantics within existing content on web pages. Search engines, web crawlers, and browsers can extract and process Microdata from a web page and use it to provide a richer browsing experience for users. Microdata use a supporting vocabulary to...
Vocabularies defines vocabularies for use with the HTML5 Microdata feature. - Web FormsForm (web)A webform on a web page allows a user to enter data that is sent to a server for processing. Webforms resemble paper or database forms because internet users fill out the forms using checkboxes, radio buttons, or text fields...
2.0 is an update to HTML forms. The spec will no longer be developed standalone, as the features have been folded into HTML5. - Web applicationWeb applicationA web application is an application that is accessed over a network such as the Internet or an intranet. The term may also mean a computer software application that is coded in a browser-supported language and reliant on a common web browser to render the application executable.Web applications are...
s 1.0 contains HTML5, Web Workers, and several other specifications, some of which are only published standalone at the W3C.
Additionally, there is a very early draft called Web Controls 1.0, which is not actively being developed.