The HTML5 boom is coming. Fast

'HTML5' is losing all meaning and just becoming a buzzword.<p><i>"HTML5 is not just going to be big, it’s going to be huge — and it’s coming fast.<p>More than 2.1 billion mobile devices will have HTML5 browsers by 2016, up from just 109 million in 2010"</i><p>No, more than 2.1 billion mobile devices will have <i>web browsers</i>. Yes, they'll use HTML5 but the figure is significant because of users gaining access to the 'full web' on fast 3G connections- that has nothing to do with HTML5.<p><i>"Much of this growth will be thanks to Apple’s massive support for the HTML5 platform, according to the study. And Apple is also likely to be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the technology’s wide scale adoption. "</i><p>Actually I'd argue that Apple has done some of the biggest damage in harming HTML5 adoption. Their refusal to make HTML5 a first-class citizen in the app-writing world (and Android is equally as guilty of this) means that people are still being funneled through Objective-C pathways, locking their apps into the iOS platform.<p><i>"Because Apple has so much control over its software and devices, it will be most poised to take full advantage of HTML features as they emerge in the coming years."</i><p>Or, they'll be poised to take full advantage of their market position and make it very difficult to write any kind of cross-platform app. We'll see.

It's amazing how - I think at least - the web is moving away from framework based technologies to HTML, CSS and Javacsript as primary sources. Indeed, Windows 8 is pushing support for such technologies and actually supporting a move away from framework based technologies to the HCJ combo. Even now with the popularity of HTML5 API's and NodeJS - the push away from traditional frameworks is becomming evident. Just look at Silverlight/Flash as sources of this - MSFT touted Silverlight as the "new future" and now its all but giving it the big middle finger.<p>Is this a good thing ? I think that Google and Apple are intent on killing Microsoft and Adobe respectively and they believe the best way is to strike at their respective hearts is by reducing their core platform reliance. I'm not necessarily of the view this is the best way forward, and data security and privacy laws having a long way to go before we all start using "Chrome Books". I just sometimes wonder whether Google/Apple self-interest in pushing ahead HTML5 is, and will, benefit the developer community as a whole in development of web technologies or rather create some sort of HCJ hybrid "gadget" '@web application@' community.<p>Further, I'm not always convinced that writing lines of HTML5 and Javascript will replace the eons of work [flagrant exaggeration intended] that has gone into traditional languages. Just like the HTML4 spec, it will be a while before the HTML5 spec is "truly adopted". A simple DocType switch and you're "technically" in HTML5.<p>"The HTML5 boom is coming. Fast" - maybe it is, but I don't know whether that represents the "super exciting" future we all dream of - or whether it represents a flood of new poor constructed web technologies aiming to be the next "Facebook". Call me a cynic - I just think we need to preserve our roots as much as we do need to forge a better web future.

The iOS and Android browsers have laughable HTML5 support. On paper they may seem OK, but implementations are highly buggy at best. (Speaking from the perspective as an HTML5 game dev.)<p>WP7 might be the first to have a good default browser for HTML5, and that kind of dumbfounds me. Get on the ball, Apple and Google. I know it's in your best interests to keep the more powerful stuff out of your mobile browsers, but the sooner the better.

Youtube's HTML5 player is still very alpha and poorly designed (still no fullscreen?). It has hardly changed in over a year since it was released.<p>I question Google/Youtube's commitment to moving to HTML5.

I thought I read somewhere last year that Flash was dead. Yet, Flash is still here.<p>I think everyone can agree that we all understand that Flash is on its way out as a tool for websites. Those stupid intros and Flash menus are already dying out thanks to javascript. Nothing to do with HTML5 at all.<p>So HTML5 will offer us similar capabilities to Flash using Canvas. Does that mean in a few years we can start hating on Canvas because it'll do all the same things we hate Flash for? Banner ads in Canvas anyone?<p>Flash video you say? Not until some form of DRM is in place. Content providers probably wouldn't care for that right-click "Save Video As..." choice we would have. But, most likely, it'll eventually happen.<p>So, can silly articles like this just stop already? If all you know is Flash on web pages then, yes, Flash is indeed dying. Screw that, as a website tool Flash is already dead. But, if you can think beyond that, Flash is turning into something else entirely. If you pay attention to things Adobe is doing or has done, such as embracing HTML5 with their related technologies, then you shall see that Flash dying on websites is far beyond Adobe's concern.

<p><pre><code> “I think the disappearance of Flash is closer than people think,” ABI senior analyst Mark Beccue said in a press release accompanying the data. </code></pre> This is from the mouth of someone who doesn't really understand what Flash is, apparently. HTML5 may dethrone Flash as the defacto video delivery system. But, to say HTML5 completely obliterates Flash is...kinda hyperbolic in a way.

Yes, HTML5 is coming fast, and I think we actually have Microsoft to thank because previously their lack of support was hindering adoption. However, they are making incredible strides in IE9 and IE10.<p><a href="http://html5test.com/results.html" rel="nofollow">http://html5test.com/results.html</a><p>Now, if they would only adopt WebGL.

As a Web Developer I've been doing HTML5 for a few months now. I just use JS libs to fix old browsers. I've produced 20 or so websites already all using HTML5 and none have had "ZOMG YOU AREN'T SUPPORTING MY BROWSER" complaints. (Daily traffic to these 20 is about 3-5k uniques each, it's not a massive test base so take it as you will.)

Is it really AAPL that is giving massive boost? How about GOOG?<p>Ohh..c'mon! Feels like I'm reading AAPL fanboi blog.

The only thing that will keep Flash alive even once HTML5 is pretty much universally supported will be the content control Flash has. With the &#60;video&#62; or &#60;audio&#62; tag, all you have to do is view the page source and you can download anything. I think companies like Vevo will fight hard against that.

Browser trends from a fairly-well-trafficked site, this month: 31% IE8, 18% Firefox, 16% Safari, 11% Chrome, 11% IE7, 10% IE9, 3% Other (IE6, mostly).<p>IE8 has dropped 12% share in a year. Firefox has dropped 2% in a year. Safari has climbed 12% in a year (iPad and iPhone usage). Chrome has climbed 6% in a year. IE7 has dropped 7%. IE9 obviously has climbed 10% share.<p>That's 55% of audience that has an HTML5-capable browser. Enough for us to put in CSS3 tweaks, selectors, etc., but not enough to abandon the metric ton of legacy Javascript and div soup that we have. At its current rate, IE8 is going to be around for a long, long, long time, much like IE6 was.

See <a href="http://www.brucelawson.co.uk/2011/html5-notes-for-analysts-and-journalists/" rel="nofollow">http://www.brucelawson.co.uk/2011/html5-notes-for-analysts-a...</a>

Where do Flash games come into this? I'm not very familiar with the development of a flash game but some guy in this article claims "Flash will disappear" or something. I assume this means whatever source the games have will just be compiled into some other sort of file compatible with HTML5? Or am I missing something completely?]

It says the HTML5 standard is not slated to be complete until 2020. That seems ridiculous. Why so long?

so fast that gigaom missed it, apparently.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT HTML5 IS, BUT SIGN ME UP FOR SOME. I'LL TAKE 13!!! BUY NOW!!! CAN WE INVEST? IS IT PATENTABLE??? DO IT NOWWWWW.

"The HTML5 boom is coming. Fast."<p>That's what she said?