Tech giants launch Web Platform Docs for web standardization

A handful of web browser developers and other leading tech companies have launched what's called Web Platform Docs, which aims to create "a new, authoritative open web standards documentation site," and addresses the issue of finding a single source of accurate and quality information on all web standards that are scattered around the internet.

The wiki-like website, while still in its alpha stages, provides detailed documentation on the many types of languages and formats that are used in web development, like CSS, HTML, JavaScript, and SVG. The companies behind the new project argue that developers are struggling to find authoritative information on modern web technologies, and usually end up trying to figure out the right solutions on their own through trial and error.

Companies involved in this new initiative include Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Mozilla, Opera, HP, Nokia, Apple, and Adobe, with the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) acting as the website's curator. The companies want to stress that gathering information and creating a standard will be a community effort, so web developers and junkies of all kinds are encouraged to help out.

The new website will provide developers a single and definitive resource to go to, and they'll find all sorts of useful information on the site, like API documentation, information on browser compatibility, and the status of various specifications. The website will eventually expand to include things like coding tools and various resources for web-related course educators.