HTML 5 vs. XHTML 2

Jeremy Keith and Brad Colbow explain the difference between the two markup languages in simple terms.

XHTML 2

Contrary to some beliefs, XHTML 2 does not have anything to do with XHTML 1.0 or XHTML 1.1. XHTML 1.0 is simply a reformulation of HTML 4 with XML syntax.

• lowercase tags and attribute names
• quoted attribute values
• mandatory closing tags for p and li elements
• a slash (terminator) at the end of standalone elements such as img, br and meta

XHTML 1.1 is the same reforumulation but requires that documents be served with an XML mime-type.

XHTML 2 on the other hand has very little in common with HTML 4. It was designed to create a theoretically pure vocabulary with little concern for backwards compatibility. The fact that XHTML 2 progress has stopped, does not mean that XHTML is dead. There are good reasons to continue using a stricter syntax:

“Whenever this argument surfaces, there seems to be the assumption that loose syntax is easier for beginners. This baffles me. In my experience simple, strict rules are much easier to learn and code than loose rules with multiple shortcuts. I like XHTML because attributes must always be quoted. Tags must always be closed. These are simple rules that require no thought, and result in uniform predictable markup.”

– Drew McLellan

The death of XHTML 2 does not mean the end of XHTML. You are free to continue closing your tags and quoting all attributes. You can either use the existing the XHTML 1 spec or HTML 5.

HTML 5

HTML 5 allows you to use which ever syntax you wish. Here’s what Bruce Lawson has to say about it:

“I like the HTML syntax. It’s how I learned. I’m used to lowercase code, quoted attributes and trailing slashes on elements like br and img. They make me feel nice and comfy, like a cup of Ovaltine and The Evil Dead on the telly.

But you might not. You might want SHOUTY UPPERCASE tags, no trailing slashes and attribute minimisation. And, in HTML 5 you can choose.

Thanks to the “pave the cowpaths” principle, it’s up to you. As you like it. What you will. Whatever you want, whatever you like.”

- Bruce Lawson

If you prefer a visual format, here is Bruce Lawson’s comic book version.