Jens Oliver Meiert

WDR #3: Optional Tags, Unquoted Attribute Value Syntax

Published on Jul 29, 2009 (updated Jun 10, 2024), filed under , . (Share this post, e.g. on Mastodon or on Bluesky.)

This and 133 other posts are also available as a well-behaved ebook: On Web Development.

The Web Dev Report, issue #3:

The Web Dev Report: HTML genocide.
Transcript.
(Somewhere on valid HTML, 1995 or 2000 or 2010 or so.)
Guy 2:
I omit optional tags.
Guy 1:
(This is HTML murder.)
Guy 2:
And I don’t quote attribute values unless it’s required.
Guy 1:
(HTML genocide!)

About Me

Jens Oliver Meiert, on March 2, 2026.

I’m Jens (long: Jens Oliver Meiert), and I’m an engineering lead, guerrilla philosopher, and indie publisher. I’ve worked as a technical lead and engineering manager for companies you use every day (like Google) and companies you’ve never heard of, I’m an occasional contributor to web standards (like HTML, CSS, WCAG), and I write and review books for O’Reilly and Frontend Dogma.

I love trying things, not only in web development and engineering management, but also with respect to politics and philosophy. Here on meiert.com I talk about some of my experiences and perspectives. (Please share feedback: Interpret charitably, but do be critical.)