Q: What's the relationship between the HalSoft HTML validation service, the W3 Consortium, HTML 2.0, HTML+, HTML 3.0, and the HTML working group of the IETF?
A: They are all part of the W3 Consortium's plan to lead the development of HTML.
The HTML 2.0 specification, edited by Dan Connolly of the W3C, sets a baseline for reliable interoperability on the web and rigorously defines HTML in terms of SGML. The HalSoft HTML validation service was an integral part of its development.
The HTML working group of the IETF, originally organized by Dan Connolly, provides a completely open forum where all interested parties -- W3C, software vendors, and other organizations and individuals alike -- can propose and/or review HTML specifications. The HTML 2.0 specification has extensively reviewed in this context, and ratified as an IETF Proposed Standard. (give RFC #, when I get it)
The HTML+ discussion document and the HTML 3.0 draft specification are snapshots of Dave Raggett's vision of the future of HTML. Dr. Raggett is now the lead architect on the HTML project at W3C.
The features set forth in those drafts bring the critical features of conventional desktop publishing technology to HTML, without sacrificing device independence. The proposals also accomodate extensibility through stylesheets and embedded objects (aka applets).
The HTML 3 feature set is undergoing extensive testing, refinement, and review. Experimental projects such as W3C's Arena, the emacs-w3 browser, and UdiWWW demonstrate these features, and support for some features is being deployed in popular browsers from Netscape, Spyglass, and others. The HTML working group is discussing drafts of various features.
The HaLSoft HTML validation service is provided by Mark Gaither and various contributors to the web community in collaboration with the W3C. To the W3C, it provides valuable testing and early feedback from the user community. To the web community, it provides a mechanism to check that documents conform to established standards of interoperability, as well as a glimpse into W3C's vision of the future.
If you have questions about the HTML specifications, please consult the archives and background materials. If you are unable to find a suitable answer, or you have a suggestion or proposal, let us know. Mark Gaither and collaborators will make a best effort to answer your question and/or see that your concerns are forwarded to the relavent parties. He maintains a version of the HTML DTD, incorporating feedback from the community, as input to the HTML development process.
Mark Gaither is a software engineer at HAL Software Systems in Austin, TX, where he maintains the HALSoft HTML Validation Service and the HALSoft HTML Check Toolkit. He is a co-founder and director of the Austin WWW Users Group. He is a co-author of several books including "Foundations of WWW Programming with HTML and CGI" and the soon to be released "60 Minute Tutorial with the Java Programming Language" and "Secrets of WWW Programming".