Definition
Compact HTML, often abbreviated as cHTML, is a simplified version of HTML designed for smaller devices like mobile phones and PDAs. It omits certain elements like tables, image maps, and styles that regular HTML includes. This allows it to provide efficient performance while using less bandwidth, making it suitable for devices with limited resources.
Phonetic
The phonetics of the keyword “Compact HTML” is /kɒmˈpækt eɪtʃ tiː ɛm ɛl/.
Key Takeaways
Main Takeaways about Compact HTML:
- Compact HTML is a subset of HTML for small devices.
- It was originally designed for use in PDAs and other mobile devices with limited capacities.
- The key characteristics include smaller footprint, reduced functionality, and focus on essential features only.
Importance
Compact HTML, often abbreviated as cHTML, is especially significant in the realm of technology due to its role in facilitating internet access on small devices such as mobile phones and PDAs. This simplified version of HTML — the standard markup language used for creating websites — is designed to work on devices with limited capacities. cHTML excludes certain features of regular HTML that could overtax less powerful devices, such as image maps, background colors and images. Hence, it plays a critical role in ensuring web access is more inclusive and widespread, accommodating a myriad of devices beyond just personal computers. By doing so, it has been pivotal in the evolution and growth of mobile internet, providing the basis for mobile web browsers to display web pages efficiently without compromising the user experience.
Explanation
Compact HTML, also known as cHTML, is a subset of the standard Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) specifically designed for limited capacity devices such as mobile phones and PDAs. The purpose of this lightweight version of HTML is to cater to the specialized needs of small devices by simplifying the web content that is delivered, thereby promoting speed and efficiency of the content displayed, despite the device’s constraints in power, screen size, and network bandwidth costs. cHTML is predominantly used for internet services on mobile devices, especially in conjunction with i-mode, a popular internet service for mobile phones in Japan. With cHTML, web developers can create interactive websites that work flawlessly on a variety of devices with lower specifications. It substantially eliminates functionalities not needed for mobile viewing while emphasizing necessary ones like text formatting, input forms, and basic image embedding – clearly focusing on making the internet more accessible to users on the go.
Examples
1. Mobile and Embedded Devices: One of the real-world applications of Compact HTML (cHTML) is its use in mobile and embedded devices such as smartphones, tablets, handheld gaming devices, etc. cHTML allows these devices with limited capabilities to browse web pages that have been specifically designed and formatted for smaller screens.2. Online Interactive Services: Certain online interactive services like banking, reservation, shopping systems, etc., use cHTML for creating their mobile versions. It allows faster navigation and improves servers’ efficiency by reducing data volume.3. Internet of Things Devices: cHTML also finds its application in various IoT (Internet of Things) devices. Devices like smart refrigerators, smart TVs, and healthcare monitoring devices often use compact HTML to interact with web pages efficiently despite their limited processing capabilities.
Frequently Asked Questions(FAQ)
Q: What is Compact HTML?A: Compact HTML (cHTML) is a subset of HTML for small information appliances such as smartphones and other mobile devices, which lack the extensive computing resources of standard PCs.Q: What is the purpose of Compact HTML?A: The purpose of Compact HTML is to enable web browsing on devices with small memories, slow CPUs, small or non-existent file systems, and limited network connection.Q: Is Compact HTML still widely used?A: Compact HTML is not as widely used today as it was in the past. Most modern mobile devices are capable of handling full HTML, so they do not require the simplification provided by cHTML.Q: What are the main features of Compact HTML?A: cHTML specifications enable functions necessary for mobile situations, such as accessing telephones, or sending/receiving e-mails. However, it excludes features like tables, image maps, and style sheets that require significant resources.Q: How does a cHTML page differ from an HTML page?A: cHTML pages do not contain tables, frames, image maps, and style sheets. Simplifying these features reduces the load and processing times when accessing web content on mobile devices.Q: Can you write cHTML in any text editor?A: Yes, just like regular HTML, cHTML can be written in any text editor as it is also a markup language. It only requires simple text editing functionality.Q: When was Compact HTML developed and by whom?A: Compact HTML was developed by the Access Company and the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) in the late 1990s to cater to the needs of emerging mobile internet technology. Q: Is it possible to convert a regular HTML site into a cHTML site?A: Yes, it is possible. However, some features from the full HTML version may be lost due to the compact nature of cHTML.
Related Finance Terms
- Mobile Computing
- Wireless Application Protocol (WAP)
- Handheld Devices Markup Language
- Web Development for Mobile Devices
- Content Formatting for Small Screens
