C H A P T E R 1
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Introduction to Web Standards
Technical standards are widely used in various fields of life—think of the standards of paper size and the
standard envelopes that fit them. Web standards, similar to other standards, are normative specifications
of technologies and methodologies. In other words, they are well-defined sets of requirements to be
satisfied. They are not only ideal from the technical point of view but also represent user needs.
However, web standards are often ignored; the World Wide Web consists of billions of documents that
do not consider proper restrictions or regulations, causing serious problems. This is because the Web is
a “free forum” where everyone can publish even without a technical background. Unfortunately, this
approach comes at a price: you will often encounter sites that download slower, have an inadequate
appearance, or have poor functionality. Further, in spite of the benefits of standard compliance, not only
content authors but also web developers find it difficult to implement web standards. One of the major
reasons for that is the lack of widespread distribution. Even the most popular web sites can be very
confusing, and in contrast to the common misconception, developers cannot use them as references to
learn from. Moreover, many developers ignore standards because they think incorrectly that developing
with standards means an additional workload. People have a limited knowledge about web standards,
and they generally know neither the reason nor the optimal method for applying them.
In this chapter, you will learn about the significance of web standards and the reliable resources you
should know in order to make the best use of web standards in your own applications. Web standards
are often ignored, causing serious problems that are described in the “Problem Statement” section later
in this chapter. This chapter sets out the major benefits of web standards. It will also give you a solid
understanding of the diversity and status of standards. After reading the chapter, you will be able to
recognize finalized specifications and select the most appropriate ones for any project.
The Basic Concepts
Web standards are applicable to the World Wide Web (for short, the Web). These formal standards define
and describe various aspects of the Web. According to the Web Standards Project, a major standards
promoter, “Web standards are carefully designed to deliver the greatest benefits to the greatest number
of web users while ensuring the long-term viability of any document published on the Web. Designing
and building with these standards simplifies and lowers the cost of production, while delivering sites
that are accessible to more people and more types of Internet devices. Sites developed along these lines
will continue to function correctly as traditional desktop browsers evolve, and as new Internet devices
come to market” [1].
Web standards are often de facto (in practice) standards. Since there is no law that enforces them,
web standards are ignored by a large share of web developers. The Recommendations published by the
World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the largest web standardization body in the world, are not
exceptions either. However, in November 2010, W3C made a big step forward when it became an
ISO/IEC JTC 1 PAS Submitter because any stable core web technologies produced by W3C are also in the
scope of ISO. The International Standards Organization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical
