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Embracing HTML5, CSS3 is a power play worth billions

March 16, 2010 By Chrisdigital 1 Comment

html5 and css3 are a plot by dr. evil, well not quite but they are shaking up what's possible in Web and rich application developmentEach day HTML5 and CSS3 show up on my radar more and more, like some kind of incessant reality show that dominates the topic of conversation at the office water cooler. But in this case, HTML5 and CSS3 dominate Internet chatter and the trends I follow on Twitter, where HTML5/CSS3-related issues have really been picking up steam. As I alluded to here in my previous post about HTML5, and as evidenced by this article on the coming build of Internet Explorer 9, HTML5 and CSS3, compliance is likely to shift the balance of power in Web development software. Adobe (which is currently the dominant player in Rich Internet Application development) is likely to see their current market presence they’ve enjoyed curtailed by competitors such as Apple, Microsoft and Google who suddenly have a jones for the open standard HTML5/CSS3 offers.

The future in question

The real question is, “Can all parties REALLY agree on the new HTML5 standard across the board, enough so that it will have a legitimate impact on today’s Web browsing and Web application experiences?” Adobe has even been accused of being an impediment to W3C green lighting the HTML5 standard. On the flip side of that coin, people have begun to analyze why they’re using Flash and other RIA technologies in the first place. Naturally, developers want to use the right tool for the right job and we can already see the effects of developers seeking rich media alternatives in the open market. One major example is the rise of using CSS and JavaScript frameworks such as JQuery for client-side scripting instead of Flash in some of today’s most innovative Websites. Gartner analyst, Ray Valdes, wrote a piece about HTML5 and the future of Adobe Flash, in which he lays out the current state of affairs. Of course, none of us truly knows what the future holds, but I doubt that the key players are sitting on their hands either. Several different players are trying to influence how the future takes shape; hopefully, open source methods will win out over licensed software.

Hurry up and wait

Long gone are the days when a simple text site adorned with goofy icons captured site visitors’ attention. Billions of dollars are at stake these days in the fight for user traffic. Site builders, on behalf of their clients, engage in that particular battle every day while trying to keep up with the competition AND remain relevant. Hence, they are improving their sites with sticky, interactive features. That being said, we live in a “What have you done for me lately?” world, and the dollars will go where they are most effective. Software vendors have been maneuvering forever to provide tools that site builders will want to use. Chess plays are being executed to gain top market positions and we all know how ugly that can get; let’s not forget how Microsoft put both Sun and JAVA into a corner several years ago, restricting them from bleeding into the Windows’ desktop experience. Companies like Microsoft maintain a split-personality agenda, creating proprietary products like Silverlight that they’re striving to seed in the developer market. It’s easy to see why the sharp elbows are out when you take a good look at the numbers. Worldwide application development software was a $7.3 billion dollar business as of mid-2008 alone.

The plot

This creates the context of a Dr. Evil-like plot in which each player fights for the loyalty of the very designers and developers who assist in creating the demand for software and merchandise for their peers and the masses. Adobe has long been treated as an unwelcome “guest” in the technology market and this disdain bubbled up in the early ’90’s as well when Apple and Microsoft teamed up to create the TrueType standard for fonts, leaving Adobe’s PostScript in the dust. Desktop publishing and electronic printing really took off and the impact felt by this current situation is likely to be just as large in scale. Tim Burden over at NewsFix executes a great write up with “Apple and Google go to war, Adobe takes collateral damage.” What really keeps Adobe’s competitors up at night is Adobe’s infiltration into the enterprise software market. I have a friend who works for an American soft drink giant that uses a home-brewed application consisting of a mixture of PHP and Adobe Flex to generate sales reports for the management that includes interactive bar charts and graphs, so I know that this threat is real.

The payoff

I’m paying attention to role descriptions and knowledge requirements for job openings that trickle my way, always gauging how these changes may affect my immediate world and job market. As a web developer, it’s hard to fight the feeling that you’re standing in the quicksand of an ever-changing technological landscape. Although, I know that some of us are making this “war” work to our benefit. I got word this week that a friend of a friend got a job offer of a quarter of a million dollars a year to be a senior Flex developer. Yeah, you read that right. As a person who mainly deals with U.I. and front-end design, I feel that the impact of HTML5/CSS3 on RIA workflows will be tremendous.

If compliance and HTML5 adoption within browsers pick up steam, I predict that the folks in charge of executing the design and function of Websites are soon to see their tools change in dramatic ways. Without a doubt, it will be slightly easier to implement data objects, UI behaviors, and to create slicker presentations on future Websites with “open source” tools. Having lived through the browser wars of the 1990’s, I can say definitively that smart people will still be around to pick up the pieces after big corporations beat the “propriety code” out of each other. I hope to be one of them.

More Resources

1. Jeffery Zeldman’s take on the IE9 preview

2. Sneaking into Future: 25 Ultra Modern Websites Using HTML5

3. Adobe shakes off all the noise about HTML5, by announcing new tool “Web Tech.”

Read more on ChrisDigital’s Digital Designer Blog:

1. Exploring web fonts, moving beyond Arial and Verdana

2. HTML5 is no longer like a mythical white Unicorn

Filed Under: Code Tagged With: Adobe Flash, Apple Adobe battle, Apple Adobe conflict, CSS3, HTML5, IE9 Features, Microsoft Adobe battle, RIA developers

HTML5 is no longer like a mythical white Unicorn

February 20, 2010 By Chrisdigital Leave a Comment

HTML5 demystified, no longer a mythical white UnicornAs of today HTML5 is no longer like a mythical white Unicorn, or just a new and cool buzzword uber-geeks throw around on Internet blogs. It’s something more real and tangible, thanks to Matthew David. He does a brilliant job breaking it down in his post “Inside HTML5: The Browser becomes a first class RIA citizen” over at InsideRIA.com.

I have only dug into HTML5 as a curiosity about the font embedding that’s coming in the future, (and I was intrigued by the native support for audio and video) but I have not really thought of the more comprehensive development implications of the coming HTML5 standards until now. This article is really worth a read, especially the information about the proposed new foundational elements, and the CSS3 special effects.

Mr. David breaks down the back story of HTML5, sprinkles in a little history and then gets into the features that are coming with actual code examples. He also gets into browser support and where you might see the quickest feature adoption.

I also found it interesting that if you read between the lines, it’s in the W3C’s and the individual browser manufacturer’s interests to get HTML5 out the door before the standard becomes an afterthought to browser plugin and RIA technology that is moving at a much faster pace.

HTML5 and CSS3, it’s what the cool kids are doing

Here’s a similar post from the Webtint.com entitled How We’ll be Building Websites in 5 years: HTML5 and CSS3 layout that breaks down some of the new building blocks offered by HTML5 and CSS3, It also discusses things like graceful degradation of your code and IE hacks. Wait!, there’s more – not to be out done CSS3Gallery.net lists 70 CSS3 and HTML5 tutorials you can explore. Also check out what the cool kids are doing with HTML5 at HTML5Gallery.com for some inspiration.

The politics and competing interests behind the HTML5 standard

In my post “Embracing HTML5, CSS3 is a power play worth billions” I cover the politics and back story of HTML5. I touch on what’s at stake for developers and end-users in terms of what the future of the interaction with Web data and Internet media.

More Resources:

1. Nick Apperley expresses his thoughts on HTML5 and RIA.

2. AjaxWorld explores Is HTML5 a Game Changer?

3. Over at Silverlighthack.com, Bart Czernicki explains why he feels HTML5 is not ready to replace Silverlight.

Read more on ChrisDigital’s Digital Designer Blog:

1. Exploring web fonts, moving beyond Arial and Verdana

2. Embracing HTML5, CSS3 is a power play worth billions

Filed Under: Code Tagged With: CSS3, HTML5, HTML5 basics, HTML5 impact on RIA, HTML5 Primer, RIA

Exploring Web fonts, moving beyond Arial and Verdana

February 17, 2010 By Chrisdigital 2 Comments

Arial and Verdana composite collage exploring cross-platform font options for digital designI’ve primarily used “Arial” and “Verdana” as my html text fonts. Recently, I’ve been re-visiting that as a rule. There’s been a number of Windows and Mac OS updates in the “wild” for a while now, so perhaps my options have expanded and I thought it’s a good a time as any to freshen up my work.

Cross-platform font options

With a little google searching at the end of last year I ran across this great web fonts chart. It’s awesome, as it lists Windows fonts and their Mac equivalent and sights what type of user might have them installed. Using this chart you can at least give a large chunk of your audience a slightly enhanced look, and provide similar options to the rest.

Font embedding and Dynamic font replacement techniques

There’s also a lot promise with font embedding and dynamic font replacement techniques as well. But it’s widely understood to stay away from those options for large blocks of text.

In addition, I know I’ve personally had issues with whether the text I wanted to convert was a link, could I use hover states, and if I could make the text selectable. Factors you should think about. I won’t even mention the SEO or accessibility issues that might pop up. If you go this route, your solution has to degrade gracefully, or provide alternate text somewhere on the page.

What’s coming in HTML 5 and CSS 3

Jeffery Zeldman does a round up of whats being discussed for future standards for Web typography. With new options, also comes possible licensing wars with designers and programmers.

Feel free to go down the rabbit hole and check out this comprehensive review of the history of Web typography and some of the factors involved over the years.

More Resources:

1. Combined font survey results of most common fonts used cross platform.

2. Follow “HTML5, CSS3, and web fonts” on Facebook.

3. Check out 22 Handy HTML5 & CSS3 Tools, Resources And Guides.

4. It’s also good to review character encoding basics that might influence your font decisions.

Filed Under: Web Design Tagged With: Cross-platorm Web fonts, CSS3, Font embedding, font-family, Fonts, Future of Web typography, HTML5