The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C (News – Alert)) recently published the “complete definition of HTML5 and Canvas 2D applications” and stated that a feature complete version of the HTML5 web markup language is ready for Web application developers to now focus on.

Paul Cotton, W3C HTML Working Group co-chair and employee at Microsoft (News – Alert) Canada, noted in a blog post that no new features will be added to the final HTML 5.0 or the Canvas2D recommendations. “A small number of features are marked ‘at risk’, but developers and businesses can now rely on HTML 5.0 recommendations for implementation and planning purposes.”


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W3C CEO Jeff Jaffe said stakeholders demand a stable standard as the reach of Web technology expands and developers need to know which skills to cultivate to reach smartphones, cars and devices that are not yet known.

The W3C noted that while HTML 5 may be stable and feature complete, browser fragmentation still remains a large problem. The group aims to make HTML 5 interoperable across every browser platform by mid-2014 before publishing its final HTML recommendation.

Facebook (News – Alert) representative Tobie Langel said that HTML5 will play a fundamental role in making the social network even more accessible, and that the announcement from W3C is an important milestone for the Open Web Platform. 

Adobe (News – Alert) Interactive’s GM Danny Winokur also chimed in on the news and stated that the completion of HTML and Canvas specifications “is important for developers and designers as it provides a common foundation for implementations.”

Extensions to compliment built-in HTML 5 accessibility are being worked on by the W3C community. The HTML 5.1 specification is currently being engineered to support improved Web video performance, with full support from the television industry. The work on HTML 5.1 is on a much faster track than HTML5 has been, with recommendations expected in 2016.