Somehow technology seems to evolve at a rapid pace, even when the standards bodies that help define it do not. Consider that most of today's websites are built on HTML4, a standard that was introduced in 1997. In the thirteen years since, the way we use the Web has changed dramatically, even if the underlying standard has not.
To bridge the gap, Web developers have adopted and embraced a variety of additional technologies, everything from using client-side JavaScript to build needed features, relying on server-side scripts to process data in ways the browser could not, and using third-party plug-ins, such as Flash, to extend the browser even further. All of these developments reflect the shift from browser as document delivery platform to browser as Web application platform.

Now, with the nearly-complete standard for HTML5 being implemented (at least in part) in the latest or beta versions of all the major browsers, including Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Chrome, and Opera, many of the advanced Web app features developers need will be available in native HTML.

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