Were you to experience sitting through one of my lectures on the Internet, Web, or HTML, you would discover that I am something of a purist, even regarding this dynamic field exploding with new ideas. One of the areas I find myself complaining about, to any who cares to listen, is the abuse of HTML.

Abusing a markup language is not something you will do community service to atone for, so should I be spending my time and energy on something more productive? I don't think so. Terrible things are happening in the world. I at least feel responsible enough to take notice, even if I can't always change them.

The Hyper-Text Markup Language began life as a relatively simple SGML. Innovative, surely, and holding more promise than I first realized. Over time, as the World-Wide-Web became a reality, HTML matured, was enhanced, extended, and eventually standardized. Each version has now been meticulously documented to insure that documents, properly written, will display and function as expected anywhere while using any Web browsing software.

HTML is appreciated, fundamentally, because it's understandable. It has always been posssible to write HTML documents without the aid of special software. The language is concise, consistent, and above all, elegant. Like any good material, using it is a pleasure and creating compelling web pages is not only an interesting challenge, it is rewarding. HTML is stuff for artists.

Enter Microsoft. I always get nervous when Microsoft enters a room. When Microsoft discovered the Internet (also a little late, I might add) the room itself got nervous. "Embrace, Extend, and Exterminate" is a dangerous creed.

Microsoft began by adding "features" to HTML that only worked in their own Web browser. Many were eventually adopted into future versions of the HTML standard. Many were not. They're still adding.

Suddenly, HTML had to be written for specific web browsers. Web designers were forced to write multiple versions of the same content to make sure everyone could display it. Chaos reigned.

The Internet, with HTML as its language, is now a powerful force with international standards bodies defining how things work now and will work in the future. The HTML language has an international standards body all its own. The language and its successors are becoming more complex, powerful, and promising.

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