tantek.com

🎂 Congrats @microformats.org on 20 years! #microformats20

Even after 20 years, people keep discovering new ways of using #microformats:
* @artlung.com: "WML, WAP, & Microformats Demo!" (https://lab.artlung.com/wml/faux)
> Because WML elements may have the class attribute
Originally posted 2025-06-18: https://xoxo.zone/@artlung/114705990062730513

That adds to the list of languages with working microformats examples:
* HTML — modern, unversioned as well as every version since HTML4
* HTML3 — see https://microformats.org/wiki/html3
* SVG — see https://microformats.org/wiki/svg
* XHTML — every version, 1.0, 1.1, 2.0
and now also:
* WML — https://microformats.org/wiki/wml

Literally any HTML-like or XML-like language that has a space-separated class attribute can work with microformats.

In constrast, every alternative to microformats (most now defunct) required adding new attributes, or worse, entirely new elements, which meant revising every language one at a time (or use of fragile XML Namespaces), resulting in supporting only 1-2 languages at most (HTML and XHTML) in practice, and nothing else.

Re-using the "class" attribute based on the existing footpath that web designers made for encoding additional semantics into their HTML, and the similarly extensible "rel" attribute, was one of the best design decisions in any extension format ever.

After 20 years, microformats continue to serve as another example of “loosely joined” approaches being more adaptable, reliable, resilient, and longer lasting than “tightly coupled”.

More microformats 20th anniversary posts from the #indieweb personal sites (via https://stream.indieweb.org/)
* @manton.org: "It’s the 20th anniversary of the launch of microforrmats.org!" (https://www.manton.org/2025/06/20/its-the-th-anniversary-of.html)
* ... hashtag your post #microformats or #microformats20 and #federate (using #Mastodon or any compatible #fediverse server etc.) or webmention this post!

#20thAnniversary #smallPieces #looselyJoined

Previously, previously, previously:
* https://tantek.com/2024/173/t1/years-posse-microformats-beyond
* https://tantek.com/2023/171/t1/anniversaries-microformats-posse
* https://tantek.com/2019/171/t1/happy-14th-microformats-org

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