HTML5 is no more, the specification having been ditched just two days after the logo was revealed to the web design industry and the general public.

W3C (World Wide Web Consortium), the standards group that steers the HTML specification, launched the new HTML 5 logo to endorse next-generation web technology. But the WHATWG (Web Hypertext Application Working Group) – a related quality watchdog that broke from the W3C in 2004 – stated that HTML5 should just be called HTML.

WHATWG’s Ian Hickson claims that given the fast changing nature of technology – and the demands of the users of this technology – new and updated features would have to be added on a near unending basis, making more sense for the move to a “living document” that can be amended more easily.

Hickson said the WHATWG had wanted to alter the HTML5 name previously, but resisted since the tag encouraged advocacy aims. However, WHATWG decided to enable the name change after the mix-up caused by the release of the W3C logo.

In a blog post, Hickson said: ”The term is now basically being used to mean anything Web-standards-related, so it’s time to move on!”

Meanwhile, Ian Jacobs, head of marketing and communications at the W3C, has apologised for the confusion as a result of the new W3C logo. In a blog post, he said: ”Clearly the mixed message – ‘high visibility launch’ along with ‘not yet official’ – was confusing to some and caused others to feel slighted. I understand and apologize for that.”

There is a wide range of web design languages that are now available to even the most amateur of web masters. Every major computer company has created some form of web design language; but despite this increasing competition, the market leader remains the highly efficient client-server model of HTML and PHP.

HyperText Mark-up Language (HTML) is a client-side web programming language and the simplest way to create a web page. It has minimum technical requirements and uses a series of ‘tags’ to delineate your text. These tags, which cover all eventualities from paragraph breaks to bold and italic formatting, then instruct the computer how to display your site.

Once you understand the tag format and the different symbols used, it is a remarkably easy language to use which can display your completed webpage instantly, allowing quick identification and implementation of corrections. The only downside is that HTML is quite limited in many respects and so it is often paired with the server-side language Hypertext PreProcessor (PHP) to create an efficient and flexible client-server model.

PHP is a more dynamic language which is compatible with all major operating systems and web servers. It opens many doors kept closed in a pure HTML site, with lots more opportunities for customised design. The combined effect of the languages is cost-effective, high impact and can handle pretty much anything an SME website could require. For these reasons, the HTML/PHP client-server model is the most popular around and likely to stay that way for the foreseeable future.