HTML5 is the new talk in town when it comes to coding. Some embrace it while for others it is too early to start coding in it as it belongs to the future. Whatever your point of view, HTML5 is definitely “hot” but the worry among some programmers is that HTML5 comes with a different syntax. For them, it is a big deal when the syntax of the code they had become so accustomed to changes as they are going to work hard again before they become accustomed to it. HTML5 seems to be a very powerful API that gives coders the freedom to create more user-friendly applications without relying too much on Flash for intense animation.
What Benefits Does HTML5 Offer?
HTML5 definitely comes with a bunch of benefits you should try. Why else should a coder use it if it doesn’t offer better benefits than the previous version? If HTML4 works just as fine and efficient as HTML5 then there is no reason for a coder to change. The new code comes with a pack of new cool features, techniques for slimming code and others that offer huge benefits to programmers. One of the benefits is the many APIs and capabilities that come with it for the future of web applications. With HTML5, it gives you capabilities of Google Gears (to store data offline) and Flash (application cache). With JavaScript, these capabilities can be expanded. Light scripting gives HTML5 an edge against its previous version HTML4. Although HTML and JavaScript connect with classes and IDs, they had been perceived as separate layers. But HTML5 has fully acknowledged JavaScript. Let us look at the benefits HTML5 offer in detail.
Offline Data Storage
HTML5 provides offline data storage capability. Thunderbird and Outlook lets you browse your data offline. With HTML5, it has the same capabilities but in a browser. This is a very good development in bringing desktop and the web together and opens unlimited capabilities for the future of the Web. HTML5 can be described as the most powerful markup language to date as it has included the best parts from various web technologies into one package.
The Web Provides A Testing Environment For HTML5
Even though the web for now provides limited support for HTML5, the good news is the web is continuously progressive; it has provided a testing environment for developers to play around with HTML5. Safari browser is the best platform to test HTML5 as it provides support for most new elements and APIs that the markup language offers.
HTML5 Supports Mobile Devices
To effectively adapt to HTML5, we need to be able to use it also in mobile devices as many people today access the internet through mobile devices. Although support for HTML5 in mobile devices is not as widespread as we’d like to see, popular brands including iPhone 3Gs, Palm Pre and the new Google Android phone provides support. Safari browser is the leader in HTML5 support for mobile devices.
HTML5 has so much hype surrounding it but the reality on the ground is it’s a slow transition moving from HTML4 to HTMl5. It is going to take time for developers to test all the features and all other browsers which still haven’t embraced it to fully catch up. What is more is users may take time to change from those old browsers which don’t offer support for HTML5. This shows we are not yet ready to make the full switch for now, taking into consideration who is holding back the show. Off course it is hard for a developer to stop supporting a browser that is still popular but hasn’t shifted to HTML5.
