Date First Published: 11th January 2023
Topic: Web Design & Development
Subtopic: Web Technologies
Article Type: Computer Terms & Definitions
Difficulty: MediumDifficulty Level: 7/10
Learn more about what HDML is in this article.
Stands for Handheld Device Markup Language. HDML is a version of HTML that allows text content and applications to be written on mobile phones, personal digital assistants, and other handheld devices through wireless access. It was the first device-specific markup language for mobile phones that was developed by Unwired Planet in 1996 (which then became Phone.com and then Openwave) before the WAP specification was standardised. HDML is Openwave's proprietary language, which can only be viewed on mobile phones that use Openwave browsers.
During the 1990s, mobile phones were limited to monochromatic lines of display and only supported HDML document rendering. However, syntax in these HDML documents was quite strict and HDML documents were limited to tiny file sizes. Mobile developers often caused HDML browsers that contained invalid syntax to crash.
In 1997, HDML was submitted to the W3C by Openwave. Unfortunately, HDML was never standardised or widely adopted, but it became an important influence on the development and standardisation of Wireless Markup Language (the predecessor of XHTML), which then replaced HDML in practice.
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