Be it a beginner or an experienced professional, we have all had to start from somewhere. In most cases, programmers, developers, and coders seem to have their origins with HTML as they form some of the building blocks of coding. HTML is extensively used to customize and design the creative visual identity of any web page or website. Since every entity that exists in the digital space needs to update itself to remain relevant, HTML too has continued to update itself throughout its existence to better serve its users. One such up-gradation is HTML 5. But what is the difference between HTML and html5?
To get a better idea about this, we need to understand that HTML and HTML 5 are not different programming languages in their own right, but rather two different versions of the same coding script. Both HTML and HTML 5 are used for similar purposes and have a similar syntax. HTML 5 can be considered as the latest update of HTML and therefore, better than HTML.
There is no concrete difference between HTML and HTML 5, due to the sole reason that they are instances of the same thing. HTML 5 will have new and improved features that the base HTML programming language may not. In today’s article, we will be looking at what these new and improved features are and how we can use them to make the most out of our HTML coding journey
To begin with, let us understand what HTML 5 entails.
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What is HTML 5?
HTML 5 is a new standard version for HTML wherein, the main purpose is to deliver a systematic coding program without the need for any additional plugins, such as Adobe Flash, Microsoft Silverlight, etc. It includes updates and up-gradation features of many HTML mainframe concepts such as animation, videos, rich GUI (Graphic User Interface), and much more.
Before HTML 5
The last major revision of HTML (version 4) was made all the way back in 1997, almost 24 years ago. However, since then, annual internet traffic has increased by many thousands of times more. Developers and programmers have been long overdue for an update of a programming language that is considered to be the backbone of nearly everything we do online.
When HTML 4 made its debut, most web pages had mainly simpler layouts and consisted of static images, gifs, and text. Interactive elements required plugins such as Java, and sometimes also Shockwave. During this period of time, high quality streaming audiovisuals were unheard of. As such, HTML 4 did not have or need native support for a lot of the things that we now take for granted.
For a very long time, nothing changed. Well after the time when watching TV or videos on YouTube became the norm, as opposed to the few domains of a handful of computer enthusiasts. Most web browsers heavily relied on plugins or resource-hogging elements to properly handle this new content. Big tech developers and programmers unanimously agreed that we needed an open-source standard that they could build modern websites around.
After HTML 5
While the first draft was released in 2008, the final version was released nearly 7 years ago, in October 2014. HTML 5 was developed by keeping two factors in mind: a) the prevalence of streaming and interactive elements on the modern web b) the usage of mobile devices to access the web instead of nonportable computer systems.
Differences between HTML and HTML5:
Possibly the biggest difference between HTML and HTML 5 is the addition of a dedicated ‘video’ and ‘audio’ tag. These tags allow browsers that support HTML 5 to play common video formats on their own. This makes it easier for web programmers, who no longer need to rely on 3rd party programming interfaces as well as on internet users who will be able to stream music and videos with less of a performance hit and significantly lesser battery drain.
HTML 5 supports more than just streaming enhancements though. Browsers that support HTML 5 will have better support for vector graphics which are commonly used for images, except for photographs. These vector graphics can be resized without decreasing any quality, making their use extremely popular in modern websites that are designed to be displayed correctly on every device such as your phone, tablet, laptop, computer, or even a smart TV.
HTML 5 will also provide enhanced support for the ‘drag and drop’ feature with an online document or even video editing which is convenient as we continue to do more and more things through a web browser.
Technical differences between HTML and HTML5:
Aside from the differences between HTML and HTML5 that can be easily identified by the viewer, there are multiple differences and changes made to the coding mainframe as well. Let us take a look at some of them.
- Unlike HTML, HTML 5 does not require any additional codec or plugins to function.
- The DOCTYPE declaration ‘<!DOCTYPE html>’ in HTML 5 is very simple and it is a necessary component.
- The character encoding (charset) declaration ‘<meta charset=”UTF-8”> is also much simpler, and is also mandatory in HTML 5 programs.
- JavaScript geolocation API in HTML 5 helps the programmer to identify the locations of users browsing any website or web page, as long as the user grants permission for the same.
- Instead of the use of cookies, HTML 5 provides local storage of data.
- Unlike HTML, in HTML 5, you can now draw geometric shapes like circles, triangles, and rectangles.
- HTML 5 allows JavaScript to run simultaneously in the background. This happens because of the JavaScript Web Worker API that is encoded within HTML 5.
- HTML 5 is widely supported by all new browsers.
HTML 5 is the result of the changes in the usage patterns of people like you and me, on the web throughout the years. It was a change long anticipated and the result has been appreciated by HTML programmers worldwide.