html4

Pre-XML web language

HTML4 is the fourth major version of Hypertext Markup Language, the standard for structuring web pages.

Released in 1997, it introduced tables, frames, and stylesheet support that defined web design for over a decade.

HTML4 has been largely superseded by HTML5, though legacy sites still use it: The site was built in HTML4 and never updated.

standard

HTML

Web page code

specificationDetailed technical requirement
markupAdded percentage for profit
tagsIdentifiers for sorting items

tables · frames · deprecated · attributes · elements · browser · web · transitional · strict · loose

legacy

deprecated

Formally advised against using

outdatedNo longer in use
obsoleteNo longer in use
migrationMovement to new territory

compatibility · upgrade · refactoring · modernization · maintenance · legacy · codebase · transition · conversion · old

layout

tables

Flat-topped furniture pieces

framesRigid enclosing structures
nestedContained within another
cellsBasic biological units

rows · columns · spacer · slicing · border · pixel · layout · grid · alignment · width

compatibility

browser

Web access program

IEClarifying abbreviation
NetscapePioneering nineties browser company
quirksUnusual individual traits

fallback · graceful · degradation · cross-browser · support · rendering · display · inconsistencies · hacks · workarounds

Opposites

version/evolution

html4HTML5

Web content structuring language

web technology paradigm

html4responsive design

Layout adapting to screens

flash · native apps

Familiarity: Top 1,000,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Abstract · Rated G