While HTML 5 has been in the news quite a bit over the past year, a few recent events have shown that it may be closer than ever to becoming the new web standard.
For those who don’t know, HTML 5 is being developed as the next version of HTML, which is the language of the web. The goal of HTML 5 is to reduce the need for plug-in based programs like Flash.
Recently, Sports Illustrated and Netflix demonstrated their preference for the new web standard. Sports Illustrated editor Terry McDonell took the stage at the Google I/O conference in San Fransisco to show off a version of the famous sports magazine in HTML 5. The magazine seemed to be built right into the browser. According to TechCrunch, it had great fonts, big photos, and videos, along with drag and drop capabilities, as well as search. The design features a pop-up navigation circle, which allows easy access to sharing the page via Twitter and all the rest of it. It also allows users to check out photos related to what they are viewing. It’s also possible to drag stories around and rearrange their order. Pages have embedded videos that can be saved for later viewing.
All this is very exciting for magazines. It could completely change the online magazine experience.
As for Netflix, it looks like they are ready to become HTLM 5 users. According to a recent Netflix blog post, the company is making changes to integrate new technologies. Not only will it soon be running on the Amazon cloud, which is a web service that provides resizable compute technology in the cloud, they are also rewriting their site in HTML 5. The technology, says Adrian Cockcroft, Netflix’s Director of Web Engineering, says that many of Netflix’s visitors have browsers that support the advanced user interface features. Currently, the company has employment ads out, seeking employees that can aid it in the transition.
Also in HTML 5 news, Adobe has just released a new HTML 5 tool set that will help web designers and developers use its Creative Suites 5. The move is somewhat surprising, given that HTML 5 is meant to make Adobe’s prize product, Flash, redundant. The extension is being offered as a free download. Adobe and Apple have been publicly feuding lately over who’s technology will usher in the next phase of the web. Steve Jobs has been quite verbal about his feelings towards Adobe’s Flash, which he calls buggy and unstable.
Kaila Krayewski is a freelance journalist with a passion for all things internet. Having worked for nearly two years as the public relations manager for an internation search engine optimization company, and publishing hundreds of articles (how-to, informational, and otherwise) on SEO, she knows a thing or two about the field. Furthermore, having just started up her own website blondetraveler.com, she is doing her best to keep one step ahead of the search engines in order to keep the traffic flowing.
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Tags: HTML 5, HTML 5 vs. Flash, HTML5
