Understanding XForms, cont.

The History of Web Forms

Forms provide a portal for electronic commerce (e-commerce) on the Internet. Unless you create scripts to handle user interaction, forms are one of the few ways XHTML Web pages can interact with users-and even then, you're most likely working with scripting to handle that data. Forms were introduced in 1993 as a formal part of HTML, and they haven't changed that much since then. What has changed, however, is their importance on the Web. HTML Web forms are now used by companies world-wide to drive their e-commerce applications. Basically, HTML Web forms are outdated and need a face-lift because they don't provide the functionality needed to fulfill the requirements of complex e-commerce sites.

However, before you dive into the newest proposals for Web forms, namely the W3C's XML Forms (XForms), take a second to visit where forms are now.