[Johnathan]

This week W3C released the first public working draft of the HTML 5 specification, with hte final specification expected by 2010.

When the new specification is completed it will be the first major revision to the HTML specification sinc 1999.

According to W3C, the HTML 5 effort now includes nearly 500 participants, including representatives from Apple, Google, IBM, Microsoft, Mozilla and Opera.

"HTML is of course a very important standard," said Tim Berners-Lee, author of the first version of HTML and W3C Director in a statement. "I am glad to see that the community of developers, including browser vendors, is working together to create the best possible path for the Web. To integrate the input of so many people is hard work, as is the challenge of balancing stability with innovation, pragmatism with idealism."

While the working draft will be important to the development of HTML 5, there are other things that still need to be done for HTML 5 to work.