Core Dump

It's been a while since I've looked at the latest developments in web standards, so I can't really say much about why HTML 5 has been creating a lot of buzz recently. But most of it seems to be about video, with sites like YouTube using HTML 5 instead of Flash to display video. The folks at Gizmodo have taken a close look at HTML 5 and hae written a long detailed article about the effect that its about to have on the Internet. If you're working with any form of web technology, you should probably read this.

Here's what's really going on. HTML 5 is already working its way into the underpinnings of web apps you use every day, making them faster and more stable than those relying on Java or other plugins. They're more like real apps. It's helping us inch closer to the dream of having real applications available at all times, on any platform.

HTML is also setting forth a vision of media—specifically video—that doesn't rely on crashy, resource-intensive proprietary plugins. Look in your plugins folder, you will probably see four video plugins at a minimum. HTML is a standard with an optimistic view of the future: You launch your browser, and whatever site you visit, whatever media you choose to play, your browser just magically supports it, without the frustration, confusion and added instability of a plug-in.

But at heart HTML is just a framework, a glimpse, and an ideal: Its real effect on the internet continues to be defined by the companies and web developers who choose to adopt its many pieces—and it is further shaped by those who don't.

Labels: Internet