Finding and Using Open Web Standards

Open standards ensure interoperability and longevity. Knowing where to find them helps you make future-proof technical decisions.

Primary Sources:

• W3C: w3.org/TR/ (Technical Reports)
• WHATWG: whatwg.org (Living Standards)
• MDN: developer.mozilla.org (Implementation guides)
• Can I Use: caniuse.com (Browser support data)

Key Open Standards to Prefer:

• CSS Grid/Flexbox over proprietary layout frameworks
• Web Components over framework-specific components
• CSS Custom Properties over preprocessor variables
• SVG over proprietary icon formats
• Semantic HTML over div-soup

Identifying Open vs Closed:

• Open: Published spec, multiple implementations, vendor-neutral
• Closed: Single vendor, proprietary API, no public specification

Mental Model: Open standards are like public roads - anyone can use them and they’re maintained collectively.

Practical Strategy: Default to web platform standards, add frameworks/libraries only when standards are insufficient.

Standard Discovery: Follow W3C working groups and WHATWG repositories for emerging standards.

Related: Web Standards Organizations, Progressive Enhancement