XHTML

Truth

XHTML has several advantages over HTML.  You can read about them at the preceding link.  You may also want to read the rest of the referenced page, which addresses some of the complexity surrounding use of XHTML.

Automated tools exist to convert existing HTML into XHTML, cleaning it up in the process.  If your HTML was poorly written, the resulting XHTML may require manual rework.

Consequences

Taking advantage of the enhanced functions available with XHTML requires significant additional effort on the part of the developer.  If you do not need these enhanced functions, there is no advantage to you to use XHTML.

Recommendations

Do not use XHTML unless you really have some need for the things listed as advantages and your page will be viewed only by people with a user agent which can make use of those advantages.  In most cases this can be summarized as: Do not use XHTML.

Tips

1. If you decide to use XHTML, be sure to read about the trick required to get XHTML to work on Internet Explorer. 
2. If you want more in-depth information on the decision to use (or not) XHTML, see http://hixie.ch/advocacy/xhtml.

Contents

Last revised 16 Feb 2006