HTML 2.0: The Dynamic Web
Power Blogger W3C and ID Group’s joint creation of HTML 2.0 could be summed up in one word: dynamic. HTML 2.0 allowed for web pages far more interactive than anyone had imagined. Snow could fall across the screen, text could tremble, and beyond simple file uploads, the pages could deliver motion and responsiveness that rivaled or even surpassed dedicated applications.
In the original timeline, the internet industry would have layered proprietary browser technologies on top of one another and eventually resorted to non-standard plugins. That ugly necessity had been Flash. Because HTML could not deliver certain features, developers had been forced to rely on Flash’s backdoor. Security and stability were abysmal, and it was heavy, yet so many functions were impossible without it that everyone had swallowed their complaints and used it anyway.
HTML 2.0 was built so that dynamic pages could be created without Flash. Features developed during the creation of ID Office 95 were incorporated wholesale: diverse fonts, smooth font rendering, paragraph and table formatting—all borrowed directly from the ID Word Processor 95 engine. Simply using the expanded tag commands in HTML 2.0 produced those effects.
Vector animation and video handling that Flash had once monopolized were replaced by ID Presentation. The presentation software already supported numerous animation effects for effective slides, and some exceptionally gifted users had even used it to create full animations. Seeing that demand, the team added dedicated animation capabilities. Lee Chan-soo knew, however, that ID Presentation was not a professional authoring tool, so a separate plan for a dedicated vector-image and animation editor had already been submitted.
At first glance, it seemed HTML 2.0 had absorbed every upcoming feature of ID Office, leaving nothing behind. Since HTML 2.0 would also be released completely free for both companies and individuals, the concern was understandable. Yet the reverse was also true: any content created in ID Office 95 could be saved directly as HTML 2.0 and instantly enter the web era. With countless web editors flooding the market, one ID Office suite would be enough. That very fact, however, was precisely why some companies were uneasy.
Browser makers and web-editor developers were already grumbling that ID Group and W3C were far too close. Once HTML 2.0 and ID Office 95 launched, their reaction was predictable. W3C’s stance remained simple: it was a non-profit, and anyone could participate in technical support. Tim Berners-Lee’s sharp remark silenced many critics—plenty of companies had profited from the web while offering neither technical contributions nor a single dollar in support. Those without shame kept complaining, but no one was listening anymore.
“How far along are we now?”
“We’re at roughly ninety percent completion. We’re running optimization and various tests. Your people are so capable that even in the worst case it should be finished by this fall. We’ll start public beta testing soon.”
HTML 2.0 consisted of a markup language built from tags paired with a rendering engine. The engine was the core, and the current work involved checking library compatibility and eliminating bugs. If Yoo Jae-won lent his hand, the task would finish in no time—his optimization and debugging skills were unmatched. Yet he had no intention of doing it himself. From now on, he intended to stop handling everything alone. When talented people were available, trusting them was the essence of leadership. The experience his employees would gain by completing such a massive project on their own was also invaluable.
“Is that so? If we’re lucky, we might align the launch with the Android 95 series.”
“Oh! So that rumored operating system is nearly ready for release as well?”
“Yes. We’re aiming for Thanksgiving this year.”
“We didn’t even coordinate schedules, yet the timing is remarkably similar. In that case, why don’t you handle the HTML 2.0 announcement alongside the Android launch?”
“No, that won’t do. You should do it again this time, Chairman.”
Tim Berners-Lee still felt a slight aversion to standing before crowds of reporters. The memory of his first HTML announcement—stepping forward without realizing the fame it would bring and the subsequent trouble—remained vivid. After that experience, he no longer viewed television celebrities lightly. He had learned that becoming famous was something not just anyone could handle.
“The more famous you become, the higher W3C’s standing rises as well.”
Yoo Jae-won smiled faintly at the sight of Tim Berners-Lee trying to hand the opportunity to someone else and continued.
“Hmm. Understood.”
Encouraged by Yoo Jae-won’s support, Tim Berners-Lee nodded in acceptance.
“Ah! You mentioned starting beta testing soon. I think I might be able to help with that.”
“Oh? How so?”
“I’ve been documenting this European trip with a digital camera. If I compile the photos into a travel journal and publish it online, people might take an interest. We could fill it with HTML 2.0’s new technologies.”
“Ho! An excellent idea. If you take the lead, the response will be much faster.”
Tim Berners-Lee welcomed the suggestion enthusiastically. Because W3C was a non-profit, its influence had clear limits—most importantly, it lacked any enforcement power over HTML. Even if HTML 2.0 turned out excellent, it would fail if the industry and users ignored it. ID Group’s full support guaranteed it would not collapse, yet Tim Berners-Lee hoped HTML 2.0 would become the standard through the natural choice of users and developers. Yoo Jae-won stepping forward first would be the perfect outcome. After all, Yoo Jae-won’s daily life was gossip the public was endlessly curious about. Using that curiosity to showcase HTML 2.0’s new capabilities seemed promising at a glance.
“And one more thing.”
Having finished the main discussion, Yoo Jae-won turned around. Kim Dae-seok, who had been waiting, immediately handed him a small package. Yoo Jae-won accepted it and passed it directly to Tim Berners-Lee.
“What is this?”
It was a Vacheron Constantin Overseas model. Having worked in Geneva for many years, Tim Berners-Lee could not fail to recognize the Maltese cross logo. The completely unexpected timing left him startled enough to ask.
“Let me borrow your wrist for a moment.”
Before Tim Berners-Lee could respond, Yoo Jae-won moved with remarkable agility and fastened the watch onto his wrist.
“My word, it suits you even better than I imagined.”
It was no empty compliment. The silver watch paired perfectly with Tim Berners-Lee’s suit. In truth, a single watch was insufficient to express the respect Yoo Jae-won felt. Once the meeting ended, he planned to visit CERN headquarters and make a donation. After all, ID Group’s future business rested entirely on the web that Tim Berners-Lee and CERN had made fully public. Considering the astronomical profits that would generate, ending the gesture with only a watch would be absurd.
A few days later, Yoo Jae-won completed all his European schedule and returned to the Android headquarters in Redmond, Seattle. The trip had been so successful that he could confidently call it perfect. The accommodations arranged by the secretariat had been flawless, and meeting Tim Berners-Lee at CERN had been worthwhile. The highlight, of course, had been receiving the Fields Medal at the International Congress of Mathematicians. The honor it brought was considerable. As an added bonus, Korea’s Military Manpower Administration had certified that the Fields Medal exempted him from military service—though not completely. He would still need to complete four weeks of basic training. Even so, that was nothing compared to two and a half years of service. Having already experienced it once in his previous life, he felt no fear. The only minor flaw was the unexpectedly large additional expense, yet the amount was negligible compared to his total assets, so it posed no serious problem. Seeing how much the recipients appreciated their gifts made the spending feel worthwhile.
-ID Group’s Generous Long-Service Gifts!
-Premium Watches and Golden Keys for Five-Year Employees!
The news had even been covered quite prominently. Because the articles had been rushed, some mistakenly described the gifts as a watch and a golden key given together. In reality, watches went to core development roles—programmers, researchers, and engineers—while management and production staff received thirty-don golden keys. Yoo Jae-won immediately requested corrections and issued an internal notice so no one would be disappointed by misunderstanding. People’s hearts worked that way: expecting two gifts and receiving one created far greater disappointment than the situation warranted. After all, receiving even one of them was an extraordinary reward.
“My parents arrived home safely, and Tiffany is preparing for the new semester. Now it’s time I got back to my own work.”
Sitting in front of his computer for the first time in a while, Yoo Jae-won rummaged through his bag. Soon he held the Sony digital camera F101 he had never let out of his sight during the European trip. Before starting the schedule, he had vowed to fill every spare memory stick, and that resolve had been one hundred percent fulfilled. He had taken so many photos that even the five extra sticks he had prepared were completely full. Because he had shot at the highest quality setting, the file sizes were large, yet the total exceeded several hundred images.
Yoo Jae-won began by backing up the photo files.
“If I copy them to the hard drive and upload them to the cloud server as well, that should be perfect.”
Electronic devices manufactured in the 1990s were far more durable than those of the twenty-first century. Their circuit boards were thicker, and the IC chips used simpler processes, so unless subjected to extreme shock they would last a lifetime. Capacity and speed, however, were so limited that new models quickly rendered them obsolete. Searching for old files later meant digging through dusty storage, whereas a cloud server allowed instant access from anywhere online.
Next, Yoo Jae-won connected to the company network and downloaded the developer version of the ID Web Browser that supported the HTML 2.0 beta along with the ID Office 95 beta. He would create the travel journal in ID Office 95, verify it in the ID Web Browser beta, and then upload it. That was all.
“Wait, where exactly am I supposed to upload this?”
While checking his preparations, Yoo Jae-won hit a final snag. No suitable service for posting a travel journal immediately came to mind. Personal homepages currently came in two varieties: building everything from A to Z on a server provided by a web-hosting company, or using homepage services offered by large portals such as Nextcom or Lycos. The former offered one hundred percent freedom but zero convenience. The latter offered high convenience but made it impossible to express exactly what one wanted.
“A travel journal really belongs on a blog.”
On a whim, Yoo Jae-won typed the keyword “blog” into Nextcom’s search bar and pressed enter.
“Huh?”
The number of search results was far higher than expected. That made sense—blogs had existed conceptually since the late 1980s, when the internet existed but the World Wide Web did not and Usenet was dominant.
“Ah, so only installable blogs exist right now.”
Examining the results more closely, he saw they were not the modern blogs he knew. There were no trackbacks, links, RSS feeds, or hashtags—just programs that created simple spaces where individuals could freely post their opinions.
“Creating another blog service inside Nextcom feels a bit much.”
After Nextcom, ID Group had not launched any other web services. P Market was being prepared as an in-house venture, but new services such as webtoons or web games were still planned to run on the Nextcom platform. That strategy had successfully turned Nextcom into the world’s number-one portal, boasting tens of millions of members globally.
“Then how about building a dedicated site?”
Creating an entire blog platform just to post one travel journal seemed excessive, yet considering the coming SNS environment, preparing a blog site in advance was not a bad idea. Especially if he used the upcoming HTML 2.0 features to showcase a dynamic design, he could capture the public’s attention in one stroke. Once his thoughts were organized, Yoo Jae-won immediately put them into action.