Lately it seems like I spend most of my time reading technical specifications. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not complaining. I personally enjoy digging in to a good spec. Although a bit jurisprudent at times, a complete spec is the final word when it comes to a technical questions. Either something is to spec or it isn’t.
The most contentious spec around right now is definitely HTML5. It seems to be taking on a nearly mythical and religious status in the web developer community. Either you hate it or you love it. But either way you feel really strongly about it. Me? I happen to love it. It is the right spec for the right web at the right time.
But HTML5 was only relatively recently brought in to the W3C for official specification. Before that it began it’s life as a project of the WHATWG—which stands for Web Hypertext Application Technology Working Group. This group was formed in 2004 after the W3C voted to continue work on XHTML2.
Initially it was formed by a small group of 9 “members” from 4 of the 5 main browser vendors. These people believed that incremental improvement to HTML was better than the W3C’s vision of a complete overhaul with XHTML2. And although the WHATWG wasn’t an official part of the W3C they were the browser vendors. So they could go ahead and implement features that they were creating.
Eventually these new HTML5 features became so popular that the W3C had no choice but to bring HTML5 into the fold with a reconstituted HTML Working Group. (I realize that this is a generalization and simplification and I welcome all corrections in the comments 
)
Over time the WHATWG grew to include many more “contributors” than the 9 initial members. Disclaimer – I am a contributor to the WHATWG as well as a member of the W3C HTML Working Group. So I see it from both angles. And here is my take.
HTML5 is in a very interesting place right now because it is effectively being developed in 2 locations— the WHATWG & the W3C. Of course some would argue that in the end the W3C is all that matters. After all it is the standards body that sets the official recommendations. Governments, big businesses, and education world wide won’t really be able to back a spec until is gets the official nod from the W3C. So in that sense no matter what the WHATWG creates it will ultimately be up to the W3C to give it the final OK.
Also, as people much smarter than me and who have been doing this much much longer than my have argued elsewhere the job isn’t complete with HTML5 until it is completely accessible and W3C Standard. And that isn’t the case right now sadly. Also, the WHATWG doesn’t have a patent policy like the W3C. And that is worrying.
On the flip side of the coin. The web is speeding up. That isn’t hyperbole. I really mean that. The speed of innovation as well as the speed of our actual computers are speeding up. And this isn’t the 90′s anymore with microsoft holding 90%+ market share of browsers.
Now open source browsers are becoming the norm. Now mobile phones are becoming the web. Now applications and not static documents are becoming the web. It is no longer a time to drag on the process of creating new web technologies. So in that sense I appreciate a group like the WHATWG that pushes innovation forward. We are very fortunate that we have the W3C to temper the WHATWG.
As a final note let me say that I have only been observing this scene a relatively short time and in no way mean to offend anyone from any of the groups mentioned above. As I said before, please correct me if you see an error or have something you would like to add.
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