Last year, if someone pushed HTML5 over Flash for user experience, I used to jump ship. Anything made using HTML5 felt half-baked back then. However, I did not have any doubts in its capabilities and power. In all sense, it looked futuristic and less troublesome. Sure, Flash is shiny and amazing, but it comes with a lot of pains. It gets unresponsive and then crashes and does not let me start on its security.
Say Hello to HTML5
While flash has its shortcoming, HTML5 adheres to standards related to the World Wide Web as it is an initiative by World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and its partners. HTML5 is created in order to provide a more usable framework for building functional applications for the Web. However, it was not created to kill any software. Calling HTML5 a ‘Flash killer’ is borderline idiocy. Yes, it is replacing Flash in some cases, but Flash is still a favorite for desktops.
HTML5 and Web Browsers – A Blossoming Relationship
The beauty of HTML5 is that it allows you to be a lot more creative than HTML4, and it is not as complicated as XML. Furthermore, browsing technologies have become more compatible with HTML5 over the past few months. 74% of the browser market currently supports HTML5. Hence, what seemed ‘half baked’ in 2012 now feels properly made. The graph below shows how browsers have become more compatible over the years. (Visit The HTML5 test to find out how compatible your browser is with HTML5 and many other cool facts.)
Adoption Rate of HTML5
Adopting a new standard always brings hindrances and roadblocks. At the beginning, there was a lot of skepticism around HTML5. However, its adoption rate has been impressive so far with companies like Apple, Amazon, Facebook, and Disney showing significant interest towards it. One of the earliest adoptions for HTML5 came from document sharing website, Scribd. In May 2010, Chief Technology Officer Jared Friedman told TechCrunch:
“We believe HTML5 is a dramatically better reading experience than Flash. Now any document can become a Web page.”
Earlier in January 2010, YouTube launched its HTML5 player which is still under trial and requires users to ‘opt-in’ (which is cookie-dependent).
Things are not different at the developer side of HTML5 adoption. Though resistance remains, many have now realised that HTML5 is the future. According to a survey conducted by US-based market research firm Evans Data, 75% of developers are using HTML5. The CEO of the firm, Janel Garvin, suitably remarked: "There isn't any question about the adoption of HTML5–it's already the de facto standard."
The HTML5 Learning Curve
The great thing about HTML5 is its fairly easy learning curve. As it is an extension of HTML4, much of the brilliance of its predecessor has made its way into HTML5, as well. However, you would need to brush up your CSS3 and Javascript to extract the last drop of performance from this wonderful platform.
Universal Reach of HTML5
HTML5 aims for universal reach and to attain that, hardware and bandwidth are two major factors. The current web technologies serve better when the specifications are higher. HTML5 disrupts this notion as it strives to put across a similar experience on all supporting platforms. This means an HTML5 app performs almost similarly on a quad-core Intel machine as well as on an entry-level smartphone. HTML5 uses less memory than its predecessors and is responsive to various display screen sizes.
Is HTML5 Ready?
The answer to HTML5’s readiness is ‘yes’ as well as ‘no’. If we talk about experience then yes, HTML5 is better today than it was a year ago. However, HTML5 is not a product, it is a standard. The development cycle is continuous. The World Wide Web Consortium aims to release a stable form of HTML5 (called as “Recommendation”) by the end of 2014. Therefore, if you are a perfectionist, then the answer to HTML5’s ultimate readiness will be a ‘no’. This does not mean HTML5 is broken or unfinished. Many projects—like the desktop version of Cut the Rope—show they are functional enough.
The Future of HTML5
HTML5 is like the rising sun; warm and promising. The developmental process of HTML5 standards is ongoing. The first working draft of the apparent successor HTML 5.1 was launched last year, whereas its second working draft was released last month. This shows that the work continues and the ‘readiness’ of HTML5 may differ from person to person.
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