Talking about Web Standards

In this article we will be continuing our discussion on web standards, we’ll be discussing how they came about in more detail and who maintains them.

In this article we will be continuing our discussion on web standards, we’ll be discussing how they came about in more detail and who maintains them. As mentioned previously without web standards the internet as we know it wouldn’t exist. Websites would differ from browser to browser and it would take a tremendous amount of work for developers to even get their site running on multiple browsers.

How did web standards come about?

Web Standards are made by people, the internet has so many users, it is important that any standards are discussed and the majority need to come a consensus before anything can be set in stone – meaning lots of discussions prior to solidifying anything.

Before standards the web was like the wild west, there were no rules, no formal system as to how you should be creating your content and how you should not. In addition, there were almost no requirements of browsers especially in terms of how they should serve up information.

A good analogy of how the internet was before standards is a children’s toy with different shaped holes and you have to put the different shapes in, the blocks are the web browsers and the holes are the websites and the shapes are what the developer needs to do. So for different browsers you need to make the sites in different shapes for it to work and be displayed in the same way. Nowadays with web standards, luckily this is not the case and it makes the developer’s job much quicker and simpler to a certain extent. However, small changes may still be needed for different browsers so it is important to test.

Bevisible always make sure to test all the website’s functions in each browser to make sure that the user experience is the same for everyone, no matter the web browser they use.

How does something become a web standard?

There are some groups that help develop web standards, this section will discuss some the key groups that develop these standards known as “Standards Development Organization” or SDOs. These organisations historically started as advocates for web standards to be implemented and are now helping to maintain and develop web standards.

As mentioned prior the SDO’s that determine these standards are as follows; IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force), W3C (World Wide Web Consortium), ECMA TC39 and WHATWG. Traditionally there were also groups such as the Web Standards Project (WaSP) that support and advocate for the web standards to be adopted by the web browsers. These groups allow you to keep using the internet with these standards for free. Without said groups and all the work they do the internet would be a vastly different place.

Bevisible understands the importance of web standards and the crucial role it plays when designing a website. Without the standards the internet would not be the friendly place it is todays with all the sites following similar standards. Contact bevisible today for a quote and start designing your dream website according to the web standards bevisible understands and executes.