By now you’ve probably heard about it somewhere. The mystical HTML5 that will change the web forever. It will be a nice update, but revolutionary? I have my doubts.
What the Heck is HTML5?
Incase you don’t know what HTML5 is, here’s the nutshell definition: HTML5 is a revised version of HTML, which is the programming language that websites use to structure and display content in a web browser. This update is meant to add several new features, and in some situations may eliminate the need for plugins like Adobe Flash. One of the much-hyped facets of HTML5 is that is will run on iOS devices like your iPhone, iPod or iPad. Since Apple doesn’t allow Flash Player to run on iOS (Although it has been developed and is apparently ready to go)
What is it Really?
HTML5 is really just a new set of tags, like <canvas> and <video>. To create animation and styling for these new tags, HTML5 still relies on good ol’ CSS and Javascript, both of which have been around since the late 90s, just like Flash. The problem with using Javascript and CSS is the same problem that has always plagued web developers – browser differences.
They’re all Different
Think about how you create a site today in CSS and HTML. You design your site in Photoshop or whatever, then you build your HTML markup, or WordPress/Drupal theme. Then you pull all your hair out because you have to tweak your CSS and markup to work in all the major browsers. I always use jQuery for my Javascript work, because it handles all the browser differences automatically. I couldn’t imagine not using jQuery when writing Javascript, and having to get my scripts to work in all browsers manually. The whole problem is that all major browsers will never implement CSS and Javascript the exact same way. You’ll always need some browser-specific CSS and JS. With Flash, you can rest assured that your presentation will be the same on all major browsers, because regardless of browser, your content will run in, and rely only on the Flash Player plugin.
Right now, the thought of HTML5 dethroning Flash is not a reality, because building HTML5 content is fairly inaccessible to a designer. Adobe has released a new product named Edge that will hopefully bridge the gap between Dreamweaver-level web folks, and the elite code-heads. My hope is that they will integrate HTML5 with their Flash or Dreamweaver IDE as an ‘export for HTML5′ utility. I hope they don’t develop yet another tool, just for HTML5, seems like overkill to me.
Almost Everyone has Flash
Flash market saturation is something to consider as well. How long do you think it will be before 99% of all browsers support HTML5? Some say we’ll still have pre-HTML5 browsers hanging around as late as 2015, especially in corporate settings. Keeping up with the constant demand for new and better features is something that Flash has always done well in my opinion. It’s also easier to update Flash player – It’s far easier to update a plugin in your browser, as opposed to updating your entire browser.
Timing is Everything
Work on the HTML5 standard was begun in 2007, and is set to become the official HTML recommendation in 2014. By comparison, Flash releases a new major version about every year, usually packed with new features, such as hardware-accelerated 3D graphics in the latest release (11.0.1.152, code name Serrano).
What about iOS?
Ok, Tim Cook, now that Apple devices are packed with dual-core processors, I think it’s time to finally allow Flash player onto iPhones and iPads. I believe that would allow Apple to reclaim some of the ground lost to Android devices. I’ve also heard mixed reports of HTML5 being slow and choppy on iOS devices, so there’s probably room for improvement there, as well. Think about it, Apple…
My Prediction
My Prediction is that Flash won’t be phased out any time soon, but will coexist with HTML5, at least while “HTML5″ is such a buzzword. At this point, you simply can’t do everything that Flash can do using HTML5, at least not as reliably and quickly. For HTML5 to take off in a big way, it’s going to take 2 things: first, an amazing authoring tool that can match the development speed of Flash, and second, the world must update their browsers to be fully HTML5 compatible. HTML5 will probably replace Flash in some areas, especially on sites that are heavily database-driven, and don’t need super-elaborate animations. Flash will, however, continue to drive advanced data visualizations, 3D content and games, and as long as Adobe can keep it updated, Flash will continue to be a standard part of the web experience.
