Next up in our series of web deisgn interviews is Steve Smith from Ordered List. Steve is a recognised authority on front-end development, interface design and is also the co-founder of Sidebar Creative. As an author, public speaker, and University of Notre Dame professor, he is passionate about sharing his knowledge with others.

Editor’s Note: Steve will be hosting a workshop on “How to build a HTML5/CSS3 Website Today” at The Future of Web Design New York on November 16-17 2009. You can buy your ticket online now.

What’s all the fuss about HTML5 and CSS3?

For me, the big deal is that the specifications are at least moving in the direction of how we have been using the web for the past five years or more, e.g. video, audio and user generated content. Developers have started to fall into habits (some good, some bad), and so the specs are trying to make those habits easier and more standardized. The structural tags, web forms, and advanced CSS are all letting us do the same things we’ve been doing for years, just in an easier, more standardized way.

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