HTML5 Boilerplate hits 4.0

HTML5 Boilerplate has hit version 4.0. The front-end template is popular with web designers, providing a kickstart and saving them time when working on robust and adaptable websites. According to Nicolas Gallagher, one of the HTML5 Boilerplate team, the new release “makes a large number of improvements to code simplicity, consistency, and organisation”. He told .net the most significant single change is the project now including bundled documentation, enabling users to get offline access to documentation that matches the version of HTML5 Boilerplate they've downloaded.

There’s also integration of Normalize.css v1.0.x, which Gallagher referred to as an “alternative to CSS resets that makes browsers—including many mobile browsers—render all elements more consistently”. He said it “precisely targets only the elements that need normalising and has excellent documentation”. As for HTML5 Boilerplate in a more general sense, Gallagher recommended checking it out if you’re new to the idea of templates: “It helps you get started with development faster and benefit from a robust base of best practices.” He noted that the project has been a proven baseline, useful for companies like Google, Microsoft, and Twitter, along with countless designers creating their own websites. “It's the ongoing result of the work of hundreds of excellent developers over the years,” he said, adding: “We hope that in using it, people will be able to learn from this accumulated knowledge and be encouraged to contribute back to community-driven open source front-end projects.”