HTML stands for Hyper-Text Markup Language. It is the language behind webpages. It is also found embedded in apps when visual content is presented.
HTML is quite a simple document markup language. It can be read and edited in a normal text editor or with more complex tools. HTML became the format used for webpages because computers of all different types could view HTML documents.
w3schools have some good interactive tutorials.
Follow the w3 schools tutorials until you have a grasp of some basic html. Or until you need a break! Take a quick skim over chapters once your brain starts to turn to marshmallow goo. Work through the chapters on:
HTML is an agreed standard. Standards are very important for different computer systems to communicate with each other. One standard is good. More than one standard and things start getting messy. Even when one standard is agreed things are always changing to make them better so you end up with some different versions of the same standard. It is very hard to have one useful standard and keep one agreed standard. XKCD on standards evolution
The W3C HTML working group is a collection of people from industry and academia. Changes to html standard are proposed, tested, discussed and eventually agreed by this group. Who are the HTML working group?
503 group participants, 503 in good standing, 295 participants from 82 organizations 208 Invited Experts
HTML history was caught up in early web development Microsoft Internet Explorer vs Netscape/Mozilla wars. In particular the way time and dates was implemented in javascript in different browsers led to some strange problems as well as frustration for web page developers. XKCD supports the ISO 8601 standard wikipedia:ISO 8601 The wars continue to this very day. Some interesting detail on HTML history. If you're cRaZy! Boring wikipedia HTML info. Wikipedia:the blink element
HTML has been around since 1990. Over the years various additions have been made. HTML5 is the latest addition: w3schools HTML5 new elements.
Each version of the HTML language . . .
Follow the w3 schools tutorial for canvas. Take a look at the other HTML5 elements chapters also. Take a rest as soon as your brain starts to turn to marshmallow goo!
Now in our HTML we embed some javascript which does some painting in our canvas object. (But you cannot see that when the HTML is rendered.)