When can I safely use the new element in HTML5?

Question

On the 16th December, a HTML5 extension specification for the

element was submitted to the W3C under something called an editors draft. The abstract is

Answer 1

Support for

will be much like support for any other new container element introduced in HTML 5.

• New enough browsers will support it.
• Older browsers will let you style it so it is display: block and give you the visual effects of it
• Older versions of IE won't support it at all without a JavaScript shim (which will work in exactly the same way as the ones for all the other new container elements).

The "when" depends on what level of browser support you need and how willing you are to depend on a JS shim.