Section I.1. The Standards Alphabet Soup

I.1. The Standards Alphabet Soup

There is no such thing as a single Dynamic HTML standard. DHTML is an amalgam of specifications that stem from multiple standards efforts and proprietary technologies built into recent versions of popular browsers.

As a savvy web content author these days, you must know the acronyms of all relevant standards, such as HTML, XHTML, CSS, DOM, and ECMA for starters. Bear in mind, however, that browser makers and standards bodies work according to their separate release schedules. Sometimes a browser implements a new feature not yet part of a standards track; and sometimes a standard specifies items that are not yet built into the latest browser. As righteous as it sounds to compose content that is strictly "standards-compliant," you must cede the final power to what is implemented in browsers you intend to support for your web site or application. Users want pages to work in their browsers, regardless of what lies within the source code. Any plaudits you receive for adhering as closely as possible to standards will come from your fellow content authors and whatever personal satisfaction you derive from the effort.