The HTML5 specification has removed many of the tags and attributes. Although these element and attributes are removed from specification the browsers will continue to support some of them in order to be backward compatible. Many of the markup and attributes are presentational which need to be replaced by CSS, so that presentation and logic can be easily separated and reused.
Some of the presentational markup continue to be available in specification with the change in meaning/understanding of what they do. Below is the list of removed and meaning changed tags or attributes:
Removed Elements in HTML5 specification:
The presentational elements are removed as there is equivalent of them available in CSS. Following are some of them:
Removed HTML Element
Equivalent CSS syntax
<basefont></basefont>
body { font-family: family; font-size:size; }
<big> text </big>
font-size: larger
<center>
text-align: center ;
margin: auto;
<font>
font-family: family
font-size: 0;
font: style size family;
<s> </s><strike></strike>
text-decoration: strike;
<tt></tt>
font-family: monospace;
<u></u>
text-decoration: underline;
Elements with changed meaning
Following elements as still supported by HTML5 specifications but have the meaning and the usage changed:
HTML Element
New Meaning in HTML5
<b>text</b>
Represent inline run of text which is stylistically different from normal text, usually bold, and conveys no other meaning of importance.
<dd></dd>
It was used for dialog element. Now used for details and figures elements to define the contained text.
<dt></dt>
Earlier used with dialog element. Now used for details and figures elements to define the summary of details.
<hr />
In place of defined as horizontal rule it is the representation of thematic break.
<i>text</i>
Generally presented in italic type, it represents a inline run of text in a different voice or tone that is different from standard text.
<menu></menu>
redefined to represent user interface menus, including context menus.
<small>text</small>
represent small print, as in comments or legal fine print.
<strong>text</strong>
represents importance rather than strong emphasis.
