Way back, in the early days of the Net, all URLs used to end with either .Htm or .html, signifying that they were HTML pages. How many URLs do you see today that do the same? Today, you have ASP pages and PHP pages and God knows what else. So, is HTML dead?

Yes, HTML in its pure form is more or less dead, but not because of ASP or PHP.

HTML is a non-interactive layout language. It can lay out the text and graphics, and provide color, bold fonts, blinking fonts, et al. And it stops pretty much there. The biggest limitation of pure HTML is that it can’t interact with the user, accepting inputs from him and responding to that. Communication is all about interactivity, and if the Net is about communication, then HTML is just ground zero. One had to go beyond simple HTML to achieve interactivity.

On the Web, you can do this by using a mixed bag of tricks. The Web designer uses various scripting languages, evolved layout languages like XML (eXtended Markup Language), and add-ons like Flash to make the Web a live and happening medium. Today, HTML-only pages are more or less dead. Long live HTML.