Do knowledge of HTML is required in latest website development trends?

Question

Hi all,
I was in a website development seminar in my city last Sunday. The topic which we have discussed might be interesting for forum members. We had discussed many open topics regarding latest tends in website development in different technologies. We managed to close all topics except the one I given below, This topic is still open we couldn't come up with one decision: {color:#ff6600}*:-)*{color}
h2. {color:#003366}Do core knowledge of HTML is required in latest website development trends?{color}
There were so many arguments in fever and against of the topic. I am giving some highlight of two major areas of discussion.
h4. {color:#003366}One group is having arguments like:{color}
We need to get out of Traditional Web site development practice and should adopt new methodology for developing web sites. There are many *{color:#3366ff}power packed & Intelligent IDE's, Robust Web Frameworks, Generalized and customizable Web Components, Java script Frameworks{color}* available which allows you to develop web sites so easily and even fast and furious way. Developing web sites using such tools *{color:#3366ff}don't require to write a single line of HTML{color}*. Then *{color:#3366ff}why do we bother to learn HTML?{color}* When there are so many other tools and technologies to learn.
h4. {color:#003366}While others have arguments like: {color}
What ever the tools or framework you use *{color:#3366ff}everything will form a HTML response at the end{color}* because browser understands HTML only. Though intelligent tools hide HTML creation from user but when it comes to *{color:#3366ff}optimization of the web site, performance of the web site in various browsers{color}* will always *{color:#3366ff}require knowledge of HTML{color}*.
There are so many other arguments also apart from these. I don't want to tell to which group I belong from above {color:#ff6600}*:-)*{color} but one thing I can say I couldn't decide which group is stronger then other in arguments. I am partially in support of both. Today I am member of Sun Forums since last one and half years and I got many quality advices from here.
h3. {color:#000080}Let's discuss in our forum, What do forum members think about above topic?{color}
Thanks,
Tejas

Answer 1

No tool generates html flawlessly or for all situations. You will have to know html to figure out what the problem is with the code that the tool generates incorrectly, or you will have to manually code some situation that the tool does not cover. If you don't know html and jsp well, you cant fix the problem and you're stuck. Also, the code it generates is machine generated and isn't easily human-readable.
I suggest you write your own low level code using HTML and JSP. If you can afford them, I suggest reading books on them cover to cover. One on HTML (actually, XHTML), one on JSP/servlets. Then, about 20 other books on all the other related programming topics (along with practice). By the way, the XHTML book is one of the few that you don't really need to read cover to cover, just read part of it and keep it for reference.