Moving forward with HTML5
Every now and then a significant web technology development comes along that makes both developers and users breathe a sigh of relief. HTML5 is one of those developments. This latest edition of Hypertext Markup Language is set to make website development easier, and web browsing a lot more user friendly.
According to leading provider of technology market intelligence IDC (International Data Corporation), up to 90% of smart phones and tablets will support HTML5 by 2013. Desktop browsers will not be far behind, with 90% support prediction set for 2015.
The fundamental benefit of HTML5 is that it makes a whole lot of powerful functionality possible without having to rely on external plug-ins or third party software. It also makes websites much more flexible – so they can be fully viewable and interactive on any device.
The five big benefits of HTML5
1. Going mobile with standardised browser behaviour
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) estimates that there are close to 1.2 billion active mobile broadband subscriptions worldwide. This means that around 17% of the global population are using mobile devices. If your website can’t be properly viewed on a mobile device, or only in a compromised way, you may soon be irrelevant.
HTML5 provides flexibility and functionality so that websites with animation, multimedia and interactivity can be viewed and used to full potential on smart phones and tablets.
2. Multimedia made easy
With HTML5 there is no more need to use external plug-ins or third party software in order to control, embed or stream audio and video files.
3. Graphics, drawing and animation improve interactivity
One of the stand outs of HTML5 is the new tag, which is used to render moving 2D graphics. This means configurable, automatic graphs and illustrations are created and viewed in the browser without Adobe Flash or Microsoft Silverlight.
It means you can create highly interactive, dynamic, user friendly content that will keep people engaged.
4. Increase web integration and functionality
There is a raft of capabilities that make the creation and access of your website much easier. These include:
- Localised databases (to speed up interactive searching)
- APIs for in-browser applications (allowing abilities such as editing and drag-and-drop)
- Support for RSS feeds within the page markup
- Improved forms
- Offline application cache (so apps are available even when the user is not connected to the internet)
5. Pump up storage capacity
Because HTML5 is not reliant on cookies alone for storage, websites perform better and do not suffer any loss of information once the browser is closed. HTML5 allows you to store up to 10mb of data.
HTML5 is the real deal when it comes to improving website development and performance. iQuantum is forging ahead with the research and application of this technology so we can bring huge improvements in performance to our clients’ websites.
