About the Different Versions of HTML

The Hypertext Mark-up Language (HTML) is an evolving language, with different versions supporting different features and each new version is given a version number. The first version of HTML did not have a version number and it was just called Hypertext Mark-up Language (HTML). During the period between 1990 - 1999 , we can see a lot of activity happened around HTML , with version 2.0 to version 4.01 .

Major Versions

HTML 2.0

HTML 2.0 is released in 1995 and it was the standard for website design until January 1997 and defined many core HTML features for the first time. HTML 2.0 starts supports core HTML elements and features such as tables and forms with limited set of form elements such as text boxes, and option buttons .

HTML 3.2

HTML 3.2 finalized by the W3C in early 1997. This version included support for creating tables and expanded options for form elements. It also allowed web pages to include complex mathematical equations. This version of HTML supports many presentation-focused elements such as font, as well as early support for some scripting features.

HTML 4.01

HTML 4.01 is the current official standard. This version is very stable, having been released in December 1999. This version added support for style sheets and scripting ability for multimedia elements.

HTML 5
html-5

The HTML5 specification that we see today has been published as a working draft and it is not yet final. HTML5 is still a work in progress, and all major browsers support many of the new HTML5 elements and APIs. Its core aim have been to improve the language with support for the latest multimedia while keeping it easily readable by humans and consistently understood by computers and devices.