[whatwg] HTML6 Doctype

Tue Aug 24 16:15:23 PDT 2010

On Wed, 25 Aug 2010, David Bruant wrote:
> 
> Note after "10.1.1 The DOCTYPE" :
> "DOCTYPEs are required for legacy reasons. When omitted, browsers tend
> to use a different rendering mode that is incompatible with some
> specifications. Including the DOCTYPE in a document ensures that the
> browser makes a best-effort attempt at following the relevant
> specifications."
> 
> Reading the following description, I have the impression that HTML6 will
> require a DOCTYPE as well.
> 
> Following the hypothesis that the HTML language or HTML parser
> definition may change, it means that HTML6 may need a different DOCTYPE
> than HTML5 in order to "[follow] the relevant specifications".

It's likely that there won't be an HTML6 -- not because HTML5 will be the 
last version, but because we've moved to an unversioned development model 
where there is simply a continually-maintained HTML specification that is 
always current.

> What will this doctype be since it cannot be <!DOCTYPE HTML>?

It can be that. HTML is backwards-compatible, meaning that an 
implementation of the spec in 2020 will handle content written to the spec 
in 2010 correctly.

-- 
Ian Hickson               U+1047E                )\._.,--....,'``.    fL
http://ln.hixie.ch/       U+263A                /,   _.. \   _\  ;`._ ,.
Things that are impossible just take longer.   `._.-(,_..'--(,_..'`-.;.'