html form button vs input type="submit" vs this.submit()?

Question

What is the proper standards compliant semantic way to have a submit button on a form? I don't need images or backgrounds in the buttons, just simple text, maybe a gradient background with curved corners (using CSS3). These are the ways I know of:

<input type="submit" value="click here"/>

<button>click here</button>

<span class="button">click here</span>
<script>
$('.button').click(function() {
  this.submit();
}
</script>

I would think input type="submit" is the proper button since that's what it was designed for?

Answer 1

The standard is of course using the <input type="submit" value="click here"/>

A button with a javascript function wouldn't work anymore if javascript is disabled

<input type="image" src="button_image_url"/>

behaves the same way as a submit button if ever you need images to make it more fancy if you are lazy to style it with CSS

In your case, I assume that you are having a hard time styling the submit button. If so then here's the reference I always have been using until jquery-ui came into the scene.