What is HTML?
HTML is a markup language. The word markup was used by editors who marked up manuscripts (usually with a blue pencil) when giving instructions for revisions. “Markup” now means something slightly different: a language with specific syntax that instructs a Web browser how to display a page. Once again, HTML separates “content” (words, images, audio, video, and so on) from “presentation” (instructions for displaying each type of content). HTML uses a pre-defined set of elements to define content types. Elements contain one or more “tags” that contain or express content. Tags are enclosed by angle brackets, and the closing tag begins with a forward slash.
History of HTML
Tim Berners-Lee, then a contractor at CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research), devised a way in the late 1980s for scientists to share documents over the Internet. Before that, Internet communication had been limited to plain text, using technologies such as email, FTP (File Transfer Protocol), and Usenet-based discussion boards. HTML used a content model stored on a central server but transferrable to a local workstation and viewable in a browser, simplifying access to content and making “rich” content possible (such as sophisticated text formatting and images). HTML is derived from SGML, which is a complex syntax for marking up or binding of content (text or graphics) in documents; as of HTML5, HTML no longer attempts to adhere to SGML syntax.
Learn HTML: Best HTML Tutorials and Resources
Whether you are just starting out, learning the basics, or are an old hand at web development, you can find helpful resources here for best practices.
- HTML Tutorials – Mozilla Developer Network
- If you know nothing about HTML, this is where you start – HTML Goodies
- Introduction to HTML – W3Schools
- W3Schools Online Web Tutorials
- HTML & CSS | Codecademy
- HTML Beginner Tutorial | HTML Dog
- HTML – Online Courses, Classes, Training, Tutorials on Lynda
Last Updated on March 21, 2021 by Code Guru