Why use HTML 5 over HTML 4? [closed]

Question

I have just rewritten my personal resume web page in HTML 5 and I like the simpler, less cryptic syntax of the head part of the markup.

But apart from that, what are advantages of HTML 5 over the good old HTML 4.01? As far as I know, there is no support for HTML 5 in legacy browsers (Internet Explorer earlier version than 9) and because many people still use those browsers, I would still have to use flash workarounds for video tag or similar HTML 5 features. It seems just like a lot more work than just to use HTML 4.01.

Answer 1

HTML5 is not something that is supported or isn't supported.

It's not even a complete specification yet. Browsers may or may not support some of HTML5 features. Legacy browsers may have no support at all for newer features introduced with HTML5. As long as you don't use any of the new features introducted in HTML5, your document will be compatible with legacy browsers too.

If you plan to use some of the new features not supported by legacy browsers, and at the same time making them compatible with your site, you need to choose a different method to display your content.

If you want to make HTML5 compatible with most browsers, I suggest you to use some good tools, like Boilerplate and Modernizr.

Also, I really suggest to read this explanation about HTML 5.

To get the most out of HTML 5, I have linked many good resources in this anwser.