When people talk about HTML5, they invariably associate it with the word “standard.” Although you can find more and more websites using this evolving set of web technologies, it’s not yet a settled let alone approved standard. Thereupon, the most popular HTML5 browser benchmark itself is a moving target testing 400 items, up from 315 last Fall.

HTML5 Test creator Niels Leenheer released version 2.0 on March 2, 2011, upping the number of items tested for compatibility to 400. Whereas all of the major browsers measured have improved their scores since I last tested on January 6 (HTML5: Chrome climbs to the top), their pace hasn’t increased with the number of items examined.

• Chrome 11 beta — 278 (270)
• Chrome 10 — 273 (267)
• WebKit r80833 — 273 (260)
• Firefox 4 RC1 — 255 (239)
• Opera 11.1 beta — 244 [u]
• Safari 5.0.4 — 228 (220)
• Opera 11.01 — 223 (223)
• iOS 4.3 Safari — 206 (na)
• Firefox 3.6.14 — 155 (145)
• SeaMonkey 2.0.12 — 142 (130)

See also: Leenheer’s published scores

The big movers this time around are WebKit and Firefox 4 beta, both making double digit gains and thereby tightening the battle for number one. Chrome beta, now at version 11, is still the top dog.

However, as noted above, over the last seven months or so, Leenheer has increased the number of items tested by nearly a third and the browser makers haven’t raised their game proportionately. Sooner or later, though, the standard will settle and browser makers’ incessant progress — even Firefox 3.6.x and SeaMonkey 2.x show gains — will begin to make up the difference.

Nevertheless, whether it’s just around the corner, months or even years from now, our future online will be plugin free…