Topic: A Cross Referenced Note about HTML5 By: Shahzad Sarwar To: Development Team Dated: 25th July 2010

1. A Cross Referenced Note about HTML5
By: Shahzad Sarwar
To: Development Team
Dated: 25th July 2010

2. Scope:
What is HTML5?
What are the new features in HTML5?
What is future of Web with reference to HTM 5-Will it devalue current presentation layer
technologies for Web like Flash, Silverlight?
What is HTML5?
HTML5 is currently under development as the next major revision of the HTML
standard. Like its immediate predecessors, HTML 4.01 and XHTML 1.1, HTML5 is a
standard for structuring and presenting content on the World Wide Web. The new
standard incorporates features like video playback and drag-and-drop that have been
previously dependent on third-party browser plug-ins such as Adobe Flash, Microsoft
Silverlight, and Google Gears.
The Web Hypertext Application Technology Working Group (WHATWG) started work
on the specification in June 2004 under the name Web Applications 1.0. As of March
2010, the specification is in the Draft Standard state at the WHATWG, and in Working
Draft state at the W3C. Ian Hickson of Google, Inc. is the editor of HTML5.
Ian Hickson, editor of the HTML5 specification, expects the specification to reach the
Candidate Recommendation stage during 2012. The criteria for the specification
becoming a W3C Recommendation is “two 100% complete and fully interoperable
implementations”. In an interview with TechRepublic, Hickson guessed that this would
occur in the year 2022 or later. However, many parts of the specification are stable and
may be implemented in products.
What are new Features in HTML5?
In addition to specifying markup, HTML5 specifies scripting application programming
interfaces (APIs). Existing document object model (DOM) interfaces are extended and de
facto features documented. There are also new APIs, such as:
• The canvas element for immediate mode 2D drawing. See Canvas 2D API
Specification 1.0 specification
• Timed media playback
• Offline storage database (offline web applications). See Web Storage
• Document editing
• Drag-and-drop
• Cross-document messaging
• Browser history management
• MIME type and protocol handler registration.
• Microdata
• Geolocation

3. • Local SQL Database. Web SQL Database
• Indexed hierarchical key-value store (formerly WebSimpleDB). Indexed Database
API
For more details about new features see these videos by Google.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdDc7sWjCL4&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siOHh0uzcuY&feature=channel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aW--Wlf9EFs&feature=channel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AusOPz8Ww80&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spjOAFGxOP0
What is future of Web with reference to HTM 5-Will it devalue
current presentation layer technologies for Web like Flash,
Silverlight?
Answer is No. Because the features that HTML5 is providing is very small subset of the
functionality provided by Flash and Silverlight.
Lets take an example of 2D/3D Graphics support. Although HTML5 has provided
Canvas API but it can’t be compared with full support provided by Silverlight or Flash.
Same is the case with Video and Audio support. HTML before HTML5 don’t have audio
and video support. Now that support is there in HTML5. But this support is limited and
can’t help in all cases.
So in short yes, with HTML5, the standard has grown a lot and there will always space
for commercial products who will enhance the standard and will provide more deep
implementation of features.
This gap between standard and commercialization of standard in products will always be
there.
Wait till all features of HTML5 are implemented in all browsers and enjoy the new world
of web.
References:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdDc7sWjCL4&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siOHh0uzcuY&feature=channel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aW--Wlf9EFs&feature=channel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AusOPz8Ww80&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spjOAFGxOP0
http://dev.w3.org/html5/spec/Overview.html
http://dev.w3.org/html5/html4-differences/