Html 5 is a revolutionary upgrade in the language used to build websites and web applications. Many have heard of HTML, the language for structuring and presenting content for the internet, and just like the iPhone, it has gone through iterative changes since its inception in 1989 when Tim Berners-Lee first wrote a memo that proposed an internet-based hypertext system.
The upgrades and changes over the years to the hypertext mark up language has introduced new features to how we interact with the web and today HTML 5 signifies a revolution to the way the internet will function and how it will be used.
To put this in context, we use bricks and cement to build buildings today, HTML 5 is like using a titanium alloy that can turn into anything.
Multimedia and Graphics with HTML 5
Animations, videos, responsive interactive effect where all once possible only with Flash media, which require web browsers to download an application before it could work, additionally Flash based websites, although great to look, were usually large, heavy, and clunky.
Additionally search engine optimization on flash based websites were virtually impossible because search engines could not read flash. HTML 5 introduces a much faster, secure, responsive, interactive, and stunningly beautiful alternative to flash, and it does this in a way that works on all browsers, computers, mobile phones, and tablets.
Universality and Interoperability
Developing a website that works on everything is the holy grail of web developers and website owners, however it was usually the case that if you wanted your website or application to work on all browsers, mobile devices, and tablets pc’s you had to build different versions of it. A website would need a mobile version, a version for tablet pc’s, and a version for computers and then a version for the most popular browsers.
I call this the web standardization fragmentation dilemma and the fragmentation dilemma compounded costs if you were developing software for the internet that was targeted everyone to use. HTML 5 is a single source standard, and by that virtually destroys the fragmentation dilemma on the basis that it is a single technology stack that allows the developer to fine tune for different browsers. Moreover you can create an app for a single browser that works no matter how the user interacts with it, web, mobile tablet, etc.
Mobile Application Development
Mobile applications have become ubiquitous in this day and age and nearly anyone today can build a mobile app with a little grit and sweat (I might be exaggerating here). Though when developing a mobile app the question was always, “What is the most popular mobile device on the market that we can focus on?”
The question always comes up because the cost to develop the same mobile application for the iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Windows Phone, Palm OS at a point becomes prohibitive. With HTML 5, you can create the app for one browser, which will work on all devices, cutting development costs significantly and as a developer would you prefer three different codebases for iOS, Android and Windows Phone apps for your internet application or just one?
Better user experience
Features such as gestures, touch interactivity, device orientation, pinching, swiping are all supported on HTML 5, whereby these awesome user experience features where once relegated to native applications, HTML 5 puts the flexibility and power of advanced user engagement within the code base infrastructure of the internet which means faster and more agile results.
The internet and the way we interact with it 2 years from now, even 1 year from now, will be quite different from what we’re used and it will all be based on HTML 5.
