Why Switch to XHTML? The Work of the World Wide Web Consortium Lee Underwood
The Work of the World Wide Web Consortium
The W3C sets the standards for the World Wide Web. It's a fact of life. It's to everybody's advantage to comply with these standards. It is these standards that Microsoft, Netscape, Mozilla, and others consult when they design new versions of their web browsers. It is also these standards that are used by multimedia companies and others when designing new software for the web.
According to the W3C, "the purposes of the Consortium are to support the advancement of information technology in the field of networking, graphics, and user interfaces by evolving the World Wide Web toward a true information infrastructure, and to encourage cooperation in the industry through the promotion and development of standard interfaces in the information environment known as the 'World Wide Web.'"
The standards set by the W3C allow web developers, designers, coders, programmers, software manufacturers, and others to all march to the same tune. In complying with the standards, we all end up with a faster, smoother, more functional web. That's why they are called "standards." With the rapid development of the web, compliance with standards is a must so as to keep pace with emerging technologies. If you want your web pages to display correctly in the next generation of viewing devices, it is imperative that you follow the W3C's recommendations.
A well-written XHTML document is guaranteed to display in a standards-compliant browser (which most are today) because of the W3C specifications. In other words, no longer will web sites need to display the notice: "This page is best viewed with XXX browser."
Onward to Bigger and Better Things!
Is it possible to continue to code in HTML 4.01 and still have viewable web pages? Sure, and it may be that way for some time to come. However, technology changes rapidly. Failure to respond rapidly can be detrimental for your clients and yourself. Changing course now allows for a smoother transition later.
As you migrate to coding in XHTML, you're laying a foundation for the future. As new opportunities open up, you'll be prepared by complying with the standard today. The World Wide Web provides opportunities that are not available in any other realm; its possibilities seem endless. Yet, there are still rules we must follow in order to navigate its uncharted waters.
