Extensible Markup Language

XHTML was intended to eventually replace the SGML based language called HTML, and reformulate it in XML. Older versions of HTML where based on SGML, while XHTML where based on XML.

HTML5 is known as being one vocabulary, two serializations. That may sound a bit technical, so lets explain these words. Vocabulary refers to the syntax, and serialization refers to the conversions of this syntax. As you may know, HTML 4.01 exists both as text/html, and as application/xhtml+xml, this however coursed a major confusion, and some people even thought XHTML was entirely different, and maybe even hard to learn.

To clear things up, past versions of HTML (HTML+, HTML 2.0, HTML 3.2) where written using SGML syntax, while HTML5 is being written in two syntaxes, called HTML and XML.

Note. You may want to refer to the table below:

What dose this mean to us?

This means that the future of HTML5 as a standard, looks brighter. W3C plans to continue their work on both serializations, in one unified specification. The next generation of the XML serialization of HTML, is expected to be defined in the HTML5 specification.

Is this the end of XHTML?

XHTML as a separate standard will cease to exist. HTML5 is a language you can write in two different syntaxes, either XML or HTML, depending on your needs.

The strict syntax you know from XHTML, will be preserved in what is currently called XHTML5. This includes: lowercase tags, and the more questionable trailing slashes.

What will happen with the XHTML 2 Working Group?

Some of the work is expected to move to other groups.

XML Events 2 is likely to be moved to the Forms Working Group, and Role and Access modules for The HTML Working Group. This is subject to change.

The remaining crew will focus on maintaining the existing specifications, such as XHTML 1.1 and XHTML 1.1 Basic.

For more information, check out the FAQ about the future of XHTML.