The W3C is steadily moving toward a final specification of HTML 5, and with its emphasis on multimedia and interactive content, the new standard is already being hailed as a potential Flash and Silverlight killer. Unfortunately, however, universal agreement on the new standard still seems far off. Earlier this month, Microsoft stepped up its activity in the HTML 5 standardization process, submitting a new list of concerns regarding various proposed features across the specification.

For Microsoft to start nitpicking now may seem ironic, since Internet Explorer has long been considered the worst offender when it comes to poor Web standards compliance. IE6 is a particular thorn in Web developers' sides; although its standards support is woefully inadequate, it still commands as much as 27 percent of the overall browser market. Some developers have gone so far as to mount a "kill IE6" campaign in hopes of eliminating the offender. Nonetheless, Microsoft insists it is committed to supporting IE6 through 2014, when Windows XP becomes officially obsolete.

[ InfoWorld's Paul Krill asks: Could HTML 5 kill Flash and Silverlight? | Keep up with app dev issues and trends with InfoWorld's Fatal Exception and Strategic Developer ]

So if Web developers are stuck with the prospect of at least five more years of Web-standards Babel, what is all this work on HTML 5 is really worth? Can we really expect a universally accepted standard for rich Web content anytime soon, or is the ideal of a truly standards-based Web just a pipe dream?