If you are looking forward to learning web development, chances are people have suggested you start with HTML. This is because this language is famous for being the backbone of every website’s front-end design. But that’s not the only reason for its popularity; you’ll find that many other factors also contribute to it.
HTML is easy to use, accessible and supported by all web browsers. But the one question you might have on your mind would be, why is HTML so popular? Well, we are here to help you with that, and after reading through this article, you will undoubtedly know why HTML is the language for you to start with!
Why is HTML so popular as a first language?
Before you can learn JavaScript, it would be really helpful if you understood the basics of HTML. Furthermore, I could even stand to say the very first language you should start learning web development is HTML. Though the language is a “markup” language, there are many advantages to learning HTML that make it different than a typical programming language. If you are starting with HTML, you should know that the language is simple to get started using any text editor or IDE like VS Code or Sublime Text.
HTML is lightweight and can easily integrate with other languages so you can use it in many different applications. The language is user-friendly and can display changes instantly. If you are a new developer, you might just fall in love with HTML due to how easy it is to get an instant result.
One disadvantage is that you can’t make a website very interactive using HTML. Sure, you can make a layout and structure, but to create things like effects, button actions, or sticky headers for navigation, you’ll need to learn Javascript.
History of HTML
If you are interested in the history of HTML, then you should know the language was officially released to the world in 1991. The language was invented by Tim Berners-Lee, a physicist at the CERN research institute in Switzerland. Though the language released couldn’t do much compared to today’s HTML.
Back then, HTML only had 18 tags, and now the language has about 140 tags that can be used creatively. Since the language was so rudimentary, few developers tended to use it. Besides, what can you possibly code when you are limited to 18 tags only?
The language invented in 1991 didn’t have rich features like styling and other things that were solely related to how the content was to be rendered to the browser. The initial version of HTML also didn’t provide font and table support.
All in all, the language itself didn’t perform exceptionally well, but what changed things were the different versions of HTML that came afterward.
Why is HTML so Popular: Evolution Of HTML
Let’s be honest the earlier version of HTML wasn’t entirely successful, but the other updates that were brought to HTML made the language what it is today. Here we will summarize the other updates that were brought to HTML from time to time to help the language improve and grow gradually.
HTML 2.0
After the disastrous launch of the initial version of HTML, HTML 2.0 was inevitable. HTML 2.0 had significant improvements in terms of markup tags. With HTML 2.0, forms were developed but still consisted of basic tags like buttons, text boxes, etc.
An addition that came to HTML 2.0 was the table tags. With HTML 2.0 tags, even browsers had the concept of creating different layers of tags on their own; these tags were specific to the browser itself.
HTML 4.01
In 1999, HTML 4.01 to the programmer, and one of its significant benefits was that it extended its support for cascading styling sheets. Before HTML 4.01, if a website had several web pages, the style was to be applied on each page separately, causing the repetition of the CSS code block.
After the release of HTML 4.01, this wasn’t the problem, as the concept of an external styling sheet was invented. Thanks to this concept’s invention, CSS files can now be created externally, and external files of CSS can also be included in HTML.
HTML 5: The Future of the Internet
This version of HTML mainly focused on giving developers different tags to get creative with, and here we have summarized some of the must-use tags you must try in HTML5.
Email And Password Tags
HTML 5 served the programmers with Email and Password tags. These tags are generally used in forms to enter elements of type email and password. However, these tags could be used outside forms.
The tags check that the data entered is valid. For email, it would check whether the email entered is accurate or not, while for the password, the tag would display a special symbol on the screen when the user enters data; this was to keep the password confidential and prevent it from displaying on the screen.
Audio Tag
As the name goes, this tag was introduced in HTML 5 to add audio to the web page. Through this tag, programmers can easily add an audio clip to a web page that the user can play.
Semantic Tag
Semantic tags, also known as structural tags, were introduced in HTML5 to provide web pages with a structure. Through these tags, programmers can divide a webpage into different structures. Some examples of semantic tags include <header>, <footer>, and figcaption.
Why is HTML so Popular: Final Words
So why is HTML so popular? Even though HTML might have had a rough start, today HTML is used to build the internet we all know and love. Due to the popularity of HTML, you simply can’t expect to become a web developer without knowing it. So a beginner must start their career with HTML and then move on to other languages.
Why is HTML so Popular: FAQs
- What does HTML stand for?
In simple words, HTML stands for Hypertext Mark-up language. The language comprises simple tags to format and mark up the content.
- Why do we need HTML?
HTML is needed for formatting images and text into your internet browser properly. Without HTML, your browser knows how to display text and images as elements.
- Is HTML easy to learn?
HTML is not hard to learn. In fact, you can often grasp the basics after a few minutes of studying. If you want to become a web dev master, you’ll have to put in more work to master the finer points of HTML.
