History

The history of HTML at W3C starts with HTML 3.2, code named "Wilbur", which was followed a few years later by HTML 4.0, then HTML 4.01. HTML 4.01 is the last version of HTML, and is also the final W3C specification to define the semantics of markup. From HTML 3.2 to HTML 4.01, the language has improved a great deal, focusing on such issues as:

•     Separation of presentation from structure
•     Improved accessibility features
•     Improve internationalization features
•     Improved document rendering

XHTML 1.0 was created shortly after HTML 4.01 to help the transition of hypertext to a new generation of mark-up languages for text. XHTML 1.1 is an additional step toward a more flexible version of hypertext with the full benefits of XML architecture and integration of different technologies. Note that XHTML 1.1 has slighly improved the semantics of HTML 4.01 by including the Ruby module, used in particular languages like Japanese scripts.