Yes, some people write without it and always keep an eye of the circumstances, but for me that harms the readability of the code. But when you write an XHTML document, you need to pay a bit extra attention to make your HTML document compliant to XHTML. New implementations should follow the latest version Write a DOCTYPE declaration at the start of the XHTML document. I may be old fashioned (I first learned HTML in the 90s and I made my first commission using it in the early 2000s) but I find that learning and respecting the XHTML mantra helps you be a better front end developer, because its less sloppy and more predictable. Tools dont just automate repetitive tasks, they also free us from the drudgery of learning irrelevant arcana. (Ive argued this case before in my article, In Critical Defense of Frontend Development.). For a document to be valid XHTML, attributes cannot be minimized. Since HTML's inception, there has been rapid invention of new elements for use within HTML I also wonder how many hours are spent globally in HTML design discussions over each element/attribute, which could be spared by saying lets just follow the generic rule allowing time to be invested in more productive discussions about creating new functionality / adding value. disabled, readonly, multiple, selected, noresize, defer. Its a light loss for an effective style tool. ,