Topic: HTML, XHTML AND XML

hiho~, guys. would you plase have a time to help me?

Well, now I am trying to understand markup language. But I have just started learning them. Pretty confusing, A?! All of those seems to me pretty much the same things. Is there any difference between them. All my understanding is XHTML and XML is more powerful than HTML. That is all I know. Please help me.

Hiroki Kozai

HTML and XHTML are the languages that make up web pages. If you're creating a website, use XHTML. (It's only a bit different from the original HTML, but it's considered "correct" these days.)

XML isn't exactly a language. It's a framework for putting complex data in a plain-text format. With some work, a single XML document can be used in many ways, not just as a web page. However, using XML almost always means transforming the XML into something else (such as XHTML.) If you're just interested in making web pages, you can ignore XML for now.

HTML was first.

When XML came out, because of its flexability and power, XHTML was created. XHTML is exactly the same as HTML except for some syntax differences and some details. If you know HTML, you can spend an hour or two and learn XHTML without any problem.

Honestly, if you're really just starting out, then I'd say, learn HTML. When you better understand XML, you can move on to XHTML. I say that because HTML is a little less picky and can be easier for a beginner to understand.

But whether you learn XHTML or HTML first isn't really a big deal.

Thank you for your help. At the moment I am studying HTML.
So I reckon I am on the right track, right?
then I move on XML.
But I wonder what is DHTML!!!
there seems to be lot to learn, doesn't it?
Hope you don't mind answer this answer.
Cheers.


Hiroki Kozai

Slime's words are wise, but I would still suggest that you learn XHTML first. It'll teach you good habits, even if it's a bit more strict.

dHTML means "dynamic HTML." It's actually not a language of its own. Instead, it's a way of combining HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to produce animation or other special effects. It's advanced stuff; don't even think about learning it until you feel confident making basic web pages.

Thank you very much!!!
Have a good day!


Hiroki Kozai