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WHY, YES, I SPEAK GEEK...
This white paper provides an insight into why XHTML is the successor to HTML, and what this means to you...
AMBIN.COM White Papers: Separating Reality from Hype for Over a Tenth of a Decade!
XHTML: WHAT IT IS (PART 1 OF 4)
XHTML (the eXtensible HyperText Markup Language) is the successor to HTML, the most commonly-used markup language on the World Wide Web.
Like HTML, XHTML is a markup format for web-based documents. Though based on XML technology, XHTML source code resembles HTML in format and operation, making it immediately recognizable and useful to HTML "veterans".
Indeed, web developers transitioning to XHTML recognize its resemblence to "classic" markup (e.g., HTML 4), but quickly quickly come to appreciate this language's XML underpinnings and the benefits they offer.
Although XHTML combines the best features HTML and XML, it is not a "hybrid". It is a distinct language in its own right, with flexibility, reliability, and cross-platform compatibility well beyond the capabilities of HTML.
The compatibility issue is important. Despite its cutting-edge features, XHTML enjoys wide support across all current-generation web browsers. Simply put, the markup language of tomorrow doesn't choke the browsers of today.
We are not limited to computer-hosted web browsers, either. XHTML documents can be read by XML-enabled devices (including cell phones and PDAs). While waiting for the rest of the world to upgrade to "pure" XML browsers, XHTML gives developers the opportunity, here and now, to create content that is guaranteed to work — and work well — on a staggering variety of devices and platforms, many of which had never before been accessible via markup languages.
We address some of what this means in the next part of this article...