What Is The Future Of Web Browsing?
If you’re old enough, you might remember the very early days of the Internet – which was text only in the very beginning. With the invention of hypertext markup language – aka HTML – the wonderful world wide web exploded with colors, images, and flashing text.
Over the years, the good was built on while the bad (the flashing text) went away. Along the way, as HTML evolved, other solutions were introduced to play content – like Adobe’s Flash. On top of that, mobile companies allowed people to design native apps for mobile devices.
HTML5 is the Future of the Web
The problem with having so many standards and solutions is that it’s difficult to try to take care of every situation when you’re a designer or a developer. It’s much easier to design once and have it look perfect on every single device in existence – no matter the size.
This is where HTML5 comes in. The latest incarnation of HTML is full of features that make many cool things possible – without the need for plugins or downloads. David Walsh, a web developer, has put together nine demos showing the power of HTML5.
Walsh and many others want HTML5 to become a standard to make it easier for everyone involved – designers and viewers. In an article from earlier this summer over at The Verge, they showcased some of the cool power of HTML5 and native web technology.
HTML5 + Mobile = Heaven
In a world where designing for multiple operating systems and mobile devices can be a pain, many people believe that HTML5 is a viable solution for a design once for all platforms mentality.
The mobile world is currently divided between iOS, Android OS, and Windows 8 OS, but as more developers and designers begin to harness the true power of HTML5, this is going to change.
Then again, back in 2010, TechCrunch was heralding HTML5. That was a long time ago in Internet years. Adobe has managed to fix some snafus with their Flash platform on mobile devices, but many find it easier (and cheaper) to use HTML5.
Here’s a quick rundown of why HTML5 is so important for the future of the web.
Standards – HTML5 is quickly becoming a standard across many devices because developers love being able to code once and run on different platforms.
Faster – In many cases, native HTML5 “apps” are going to run a lot faster than other types of mobile or web apps.
Cheaper – Instead of investing in software to create Flash files, using HTML5 – which is free – makes a lot of sense.
Mobile – Because HTML5 paid close attention to mobile devices, it’s going to remain important and continue to improve and become more of a standard.
If you’re a web or mobile designer or developer, the time to embrace HTML5 fully is now. All it takes is a little research to see the true power of the latest incarnation of the language that’s been around since the very beginning of the world wide web.
