Difference between SGML & XHTML

calendarAug 10, 2022 · 3 min read  ·
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SGML vs XHTML

SGML stands for Standard Generalized Markup Language. It has become an international standard in specifying the description of the type and content of digital documents. SGML can be considered to be the mother language of HTML and XML, which are now widely used for transcribing digital documents. With time, the popularity of SGML has rapidly increased in different professional fields. There are few barriers to SGML as well. Since there are no widely supported style sheets in SGML, an unstable software is developed due to SGML’s strong settings. Besides, SGML data interchange has become very complex due to varying compatibility among the software packages, which can cause serious problems. The cynics have termed SGML as “Sounds Good Maybe Later” for these cons.

Now the XHTML is a draft which was prepared as a formulation of HTML 4.0. A family of digital documents developed later under the subset of HTML. There are many reasons as to why content developers decided to develop XHTML. This language was intended to be extensible so that the users can design their own tags. XHTML is portable. So non-desktop agents can access these digital documents through the internet. The XHTML is thus a production of XML and SGML has produced HTML. XML was also designed to be extensible. Thus the XHTML became extensible as well. In case of SGML, XML has created the Document Type Definitions or DTDs. SGML can be claimed to be the mother of XML and its subsets.

XHTML is more sustainable than SGML. With time, web applications are becoming more sophisticated. This will lead to a widespread popularity of XHTML.XHTML is supported by a huge number of applications. So it can be used to create complex websites. In case SGML, not many applications are supported by browsers. The XHTML documents follow the XML rules and can be converted into many file formats such as PDF, RSS or RFT. Due to shorter error processing routines, the few browsers which can support XHTML are performing at faster speeds. Documents containing liberal errors require more time to process. Using XHTML reduces the page loading time and download speeds. The XHTML features closing tags. This is a great start for beginner programmers and helps the web professionals to stay updated. Your source will be converted into a clean and readable version and enhance your skills as a web professional. To wrap it up, the XHTML shows professionalism which is not found in the SGML based applications. Some of the browsers that can accept XHTML documents are Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, Camino, Galleon, Safari and all mobile browsers.

Key Differences between SGML & XHTML:

  • XHTML is more sustainable than SGML.

  • XHTML is supported by a many web applications unlike SGML.

  • The SGML does not support converting into various file formats including PDF, RSS or RFT like the XHTML.

  • XHTML offers faster page loading and download speed than SGML.

  • All XHTML have closing tags, which is not available in the SGML.


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