What is the difference between properties and attributes in HTML?

Question

After the changes made in jQuery 1.6.1, I have been trying to define the difference between properties and attributes in HTML.

Looking at the list on the jQuery 1.6.

Answer 1

The answers already explain how attributes and properties are handled differently, but I really would like to point out how totally insane this is. Even if it is to some extent the spec.

It is crazy, to have some of the attributes (e.g. id, class, foo, bar) to retain only one kind of value in the DOM, while some attributes (e.g. checked, selected) to retain two values; that is, the value "when it was loaded" and the value of the "dynamic state". (Isn't the DOM supposed to be to represent the state of the document to its full extent?)

It is absolutely essential, that two input fields, e.g. a text and a checkbox behave the very same way. If the text input field does not retain a separate "when it was loaded" value and the "current, dynamic" value, why does the checkbox? If the checkbox does have two values for the checked attribute, why does it not have two for its class and id attributes? If you expect to change the value of a text *input* field, and you expect the DOM (i.e. the "serialized representation") to change, and reflect this change, why on earth would you not expect the same from an input field of type checkbox on the checked attribute?

The differentiation, of "it is a boolean attribute" just does not make any sense to me, or is, at least not a sufficient reason for this.