It's hard to understand how HTML5 arrived on the scene without understanding the complete history of HTML. While most people associate the beginnings of HTML with the early 90s, the story actually starts a full decade before that.
So what exactly does this new version of HTML mean for web designers and developers? While running through every feature of HTML5 in great detail would take considerable time, there are a few features of the new standard that everyone should be familiar with.
Much confusion has surrounded the rollout of HTML5 and when it will actually be ready for use. In order to understand the actual timeline of HTML5’s development, it is helpful to review the steps that have already been taken to move the new standard to where it is now.
Although HTML5 clearly represents a big step forward for web applications and what they are capable of, getting started with HTML5 is not all that difficult, especially if you already have a solid knowledge of HTML4.
One of the weaknesses of HTML4 was its inability to define the meaning of webpage content through tag structure. This is a major disadvantage when it comes to applications like search engines that need to parse content, as well as from the perspective of separating content and presentation.