Using the HTML5 doctype lets you use HTML5 tags and custom data attributes and have a valid document. New HTML5 form fields, custom attributes, and markup eleme

Using the HTML5 doctype lets you use HTML5 tags and custom data attributes and have a valid document. New HTML5 form fields, custom attributes, and markup elements are usable in IE6 mainly because it just doesn't really bother to explode when it encounters them. Form fields just show up as text boxes, custom data attributes are only used in JS anyway, and new structural elements are usable and styleable in IE6 just by adding JS that does a document.createElement(). HTML5 isn't something that just came around. It's been in the works by browser makers for quite a while, which is refreshing. Rather than it being a spec made up in a purely academic environment (XHTML 2), it's something that's made up of technologies that have already been used by one or more browser makers (and often, developers on real sites.) Also, using the HTML5 doctype in IE6 causes IE6 to go into standards mode, which is just pure luck. You can do a lot of good for users if you start using some of the HTML5 features right now, even if it's not apparent. If you use the type="email" for your forms when you ask for an email, the ipod and ipad will bring up the Email keyboard layout. That alone is kinda cool.