Description: Wireless Markup Language (WML) is a markup language specifically designed to create web pages that are viewed on mobile devices. Unlike HTML, which is optimized for larger screens and desktop browsers, WML focuses on simplicity and efficiency, allowing mobile devices, which often have limited capabilities, to access and display content effectively. WML uses a card-based structure, where each card represents a page that can contain text, images, and links. This approach facilitates navigation on devices with small screens and slower network connections. Additionally, WML is part of the set of technologies that make up the WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) standard, allowing interoperability between different devices and mobile networks. Its design is based on XML, providing a clear and extensible syntax, enabling developers to create more dynamic and adaptive mobile applications. Although it has largely been replaced by more modern technologies like XHTML Mobile Profile and HTML5, WML was fundamental in the evolution of mobile web and laid the groundwork for the development of applications and services on portable devices.
History: WML was developed in the 1990s as part of the effort to create a standard for browsing on mobile devices. In 1997, the WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) working group introduced WML as a key component of its specification, allowing developers to create content accessible to mobile phones. As mobile technology advanced, WML became a widely adopted standard, although its use began to decline with the arrival of more advanced browsers and standards like XHTML Mobile Profile in the 2000s.
Uses: WML was primarily used to create web pages and applications that could be accessed from various mobile phones and portable devices. Its card structure allowed users to navigate efficiently through limited content, which was crucial at a time when data connections were slow and devices had reduced processing capabilities. Although its use has declined, WML was fundamental to the development of mobile services in its early days.
Examples: An example of WML usage is the creation of mobile news portals in the 1990s, where users could access headlines and articles through their phones. Another example is messaging applications that used WML to enable real-time interaction between users on mobile devices.
