HTML, or HyperText Markup Language, is an essential pillar in the vast world of technology and the web. It has evolved over the years to become the fundamental language for creating and displaying web pages.
It is a markup language used to design and structure web documents. Through tags and elements, HTML allows organize and format information presented on a web page. Web browsers use this language to interpret and represent web content to users in a consistent and accessible way.
How HTML was born
The birth of HTML took place at the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Switzerland, during the 1980s. Tim Berners-Lee, a British computer scientist, was the pioneer behind the concept of the World Wide Web (WWW), the global network connecting content accessible remotely through computers and telephone connections. The main idea of the WWW was based on the interconnection of electronic documents through hypertextual links.
To realize this vision, Berners-Lee needed a markup language that would enable the creation of web pages. Thus, in the early 1990s, he himself created the first markup language and the first web browser at the CERN facilities. This initial markup language was called “HTML,” while the first web browser was called “WorldWideWeb.”
Its initial recipients were academic and scientific research centers, but it soon opened to the general public.
Mosaic and the popularization of HTML
At the beginning of their existence, HTML and the WWW remained largely unknown to the majority of the population, but a significant turning point occurred in 1993 with the release of Mosaic, the first web browser to become popular.
Mosaic, developed by Marc Andreessen and Eric Bina at the University of Illinois, was the first browser to incorporate a graphical user interface and support for images or audio. This made web browsing much more accessible and visually appealing. The Internet, as it looks today, was born at this time.
The combination of HTML and Mosaic allowed people to access a growing amount of information online. As more users became familiar with the web, the demand for web content grew exponentially.
The first web browsers
At first, Berners-Lee’s WorldWideWeb was the only web browser available, but it was primarily aimed at a technical and academic audience. After some early and minority web browsers (Line Mode Browser, Samba, Viola…), Mosaic managed to pave the way for the general public to explore the web. After Mosaic, other browsers emerged that contributed to the growth of the Internet, especially Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer.
The first, released in 1994, played a crucial role in popularizing the web and pioneered features that later became industry standards for decades and to this day, such as cookies and support for JavaScript.
As competition in the browser market grew, other big names emerged, such as Microsoft’s Internet Explorer (introduced in 1995), Opera (introduced in 1996) or Mozilla (introduced in 1998 and different from the current Firefox). The rivalry between all these browsers drove innovation and the continuous development of HTML and other web standards that consolidated the structure and use of the Internet during the 1990s.
The evolution of HTML
The original HTML specification, known as HTML 2.0, was published in 1995. Since then HTML has evolved significantly, adapting to the changing needs of the web. Some of the key versions of HTML and their distinctive features are as follows:
-HTML 3.2 (1997): It introduced improvements in tables and forms, which allowed greater interactivity on the web.
-HTML 4.0 (1997): It focused on the separation of the structure and presentation of web content. Cascading style sheets (CSS) were introduced for appearance control.
-HTML 5 (2014): It is one of the most significant versions. HTML5 brought with it a number of new features, such as native support for video and audio, semantic elements for better structuring of content, and the ability to create interactive web applications.
-HTML 5.2 (2017):It incorporated new features such as improved form elements and support for WebRTC.
-HTML 5.3 (2019): Focused on accessibility and performance improvement.
The evolution of HTML is far from over. New specifications continue to be developed to ensure that the web continues to be an innovative and accessible platform while at certain times there are fierce web “browser wars.”
As the web continues to evolve, HTML is also adapting to the demands of the digital age. Future specifications, such as HTML 6, will continue to introduce new features and improvements to keep up with the needs of the modern web. Accessibility, loading speed and security will continue to be key areas of focus.
