I've got plenty of experience in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Jquery, etc. but I've yet to make the plunge into HTML5.
In trying to get my head around HTML5, I've become a bit confused. So it's a relatively new standard and my uninformed brain tells me it's not well supported. Is this true?
I've got a vague idea that there are some 3rd party scripts that improve HTML5 compatibility, again am I right?
Any good tutorials on getting to grips with the basics of HTML5 for an experienced developer?
Ok a lot of questions there but:
HTML5 is quite well supported on most modern browsers nowadays and it's generally safe enought to use as is.
Scripts to improve compatibility? you mean Javascript that detects how old your browser is and depending on the answer show you HTML 4.01 or 5? well maybe but again, it's at the point when it is not required anymore.
Yes: w3schools has a cool one.
All of that said bare in mind that HTML 5 is still in development and not a done deal. Some areas are still being implemented but at the speed things are take this is not an issue for starting to develop your pages in HTML 5.
This website - html5 doctor is a very usefull resource that you can browse looking for what's implemented where and how things are generally going.
I also found this link to be particularly useful when figuring out what's available for each browser and what's not.
Another subject that goes well with HTML5 is CSS3. Check them both out and maybe come back with specific questions ;)
the HTML5 buzzword is being used a lot, but people mostly use it to describe different things.
HTML5 is the newest (and as of yet, unfinished) iteration of the HTML standard, as presented by W3.org.
Purely, HTML5 is the markup language, but it is usually referred to as to include CSS3, and JS (in the form of the canvas element).
In the HTML area, HTML5 boasts some new element tags that should help developers add semantic meaning to their markups(e.g. header, footer, aside) , and also some useful functional elements (progress-bar, video, audio)
In the CSS area, there are some new properties that allow you to animate your elements, and orient them more easily.
In the JS area, you can read up on the Canvas element, which is a good competitor to Flash. It allows you to draw both using vectors, and bitmap data.
As for good references to HTML5, you can use http://html5doctor.com/ or http://www.html5rocks.com/en/
Hope this helps.
Please note that w3schools isn't such a good reference anymore. Although for just looking at the possibilities it's fine I guess.
I recommend the tutorial from Lynda, but there are other sites. Just search at google. It's also possible to buy a book, since there have been written a few already.
Fallback/polyfill Scripts & libraries like Modernizr,Javascript Libraries can help you take care of older browsers. (backwards compatible)
As for the browsers. Use chrome, it supports most of the functions. Look at sites like findmebyip for more information about what is supported.
HTML 5 support is not yet fully integrated in all browsers. They are still in development stage. For studying the HTML 5 the best medium would be w3schools
They have introduced new elements in HTML5 which has reduced our overhead for html. New Elements
CodePlayer
Videos for HTML 5
Related
I defied all conventional knowledge, and wrote my HTML5 site first. Now I am writing the HTML4 site and adding a script which detects old browsers. The question I have is mainly regarding web safe fonts. I am aware that it is best practice to use HTML instead of images of pretty text, for the benefit of SEO. However, since the HTML5 website exists with the HTML in the headers, I wonder if it is safe to use images to represent those headers in the HTML4 version of the site. Simply put, will my web client's indexing suffer? I feel that the HTML5 version will ensure good ranking, but I wanted to put it to the community and get an opinion.
Second question, should I create the more accessible version in HTML4 or XHTML?
Finally, is there a simpler way to make a new site backwards compatible, and still be able to make use of newer technology?
After a fair amount of research, I found that it is not so unusual to create a site in HTML5, and implement items for the purpose of graceful degradation.
At this site: spacebug.com/gracefully-detect-old-browsers-and-fallback-from-html5/, the authors recommend not using PHP user agent variables to detect browser capability. It says that there are too many user agents and that headers change, etc. Check out the link for their in-depth explanation. It offers that the right way to do it is to use javascript to check for certain capabilities. Since my purpose is to either render it in HTML5 or render it in XHTML, this makes my life pretty simple.
Once I found that javascript was the way to go, a simple Google search led me to this site: diveintohtml5.info/detect.html. This offers a number of methods for detecting browser functionality as it relates to HTML5.
For those who are not as savvy with the code, or for those who are looking for a quick solution, the second website also offers a link to modernizr.com, which is an "open-source MIT licensed javascript library that detects support for many HTML5 and CSS3 features."
So, thank you all for your input. I have learned a great deal from this experience, and I am hoping it will make everything much more user friendly and efficient.
Happy developing!
Kat
I am a designer and my only knowledge with programming is ActionScript 3.0. ActionScript is quite different in different versions — ActionScript 3.0 is a lot diffrent than ActionScript 2.0 or ActionScript 1.0, so it’s no good learning 1.0 or 2.0, the best thing is to learn 3.0 and you're good.
I'm wondering if it is the same with HTML?
I want to start learning about XHTML, HTML & HTML5, and CSS3. Should I start learning about the basics of HTML first, would that be usefull to me? Or should I go straight into HTML5?
Please recommend whatever you think would get me started. (Books, great video tutorials, maybe some guy that is good at teaching in video tutorials, advice, tips, anything you consider relevant is welcome.)
Thank you.
HTML 5 is (essentially) HTML 4 with bits added, so learn "HTML".
5 isn't a rewrite from scratch, and it is still in draft form so large chunks of it are subject to change and have limited browser support.
When you think about html, 4 or 5, you need to primarily see it is a language for describing documents and the data they contain. At its core, html is just that. It is gaining new capabilities, but it's still a markup language for documents. People are trying to look at it as a robust programming language, but even the new dynamic features require javascript to assist its functionality. Don't be tricked into thinking html5 is all that different from html4 - They still do the same things, for the most part.
The key to writing good, useful html (Regardless of the version) is proper use of semantics and clean/efficient code authoring practices. If you're using the proper tags and writing very clean code, you're already doing better than some 'professionals' I work with. This is a big deal.
When you look at a document, you can break it down into parts. There are doctypes, meta data, linked resources, media objects (images, embedded objects), text based data (tabular, paragraphs, headings, quotes, lists, etc), forms, frames, and the elements that hold all of this together, with or without styles.
That is essentially the foundation of an html document. You can output it with php or ruby or whatever you like, but a proper document will always contain some (Or occasionally all) of these things. An ideal document will contain these things in the correct places (clean, consistent coding) to serve the purpose they are intended for (semantics).
What html5 introduces are additional elements to satisfy semantic requirements as well as useful, dynamic elements that align well with growing requirements based on how people use and develop websites. For example, there's canvas, a scriptable rectangular element for presenting visual information. Then there is local storage - the ability to save key pair style data into a user's web client database for later access, which would be extremely useful for saving changes made to contenteditable elements (Another html5 feature) on a site, perhaps, if you knew the same client would always be used. There's quite a bit more, but I guess you get the picture.
The new html5 features are extraneous to writing 'good html'. They're useful, but you can learn to write great html without them. In fact, that's exactly what I've been doing for the last ten years before html5 appeared. I recommend starting with the basics - Learn about semantics, what they mean, why we'd use them, and even include new html5 tags (Outside of canvas - Canvas is a useful element, but using it is not necessarily using html). Learn about browser support for elements, then learn to link resources in the head, such as stylesheets and javascript. Eventually, you'll have a good feel for basic html, and you'll start wanting to use more advanced techniques.
For now, if you aren't a master of new html5 features, you aren't missing out. There's some cool stuff, sure, but the spec may still change and you can spend this valuable time learning the things that won't change - The fundamental things that make html coders genuinely useful.
edit: As for resources, check out these sites:
Generally useful resources
Quirksmode - Good blog, browser compatibility tables
html dog - Very basic, would start you off well
HTML5 Semantics and other information
HTML5 Doctor - Easy reading; To learn a bit about new html5 tags, but mostly, their semantic intention (This is important)
A List Apart - A good look at semantics, again.
Dive into html5 - For when you just feel like doing some reading
HTML5 is just the same old HTML but updated to match today's internet. There is no reason (that I can see) to learn the same language but with outdated information. It will only serve to confuse you - I suggest you instead focus on HTML5 and CSS (XHTML is pretty much HTML4 with some stricter rules) and move on from there to whatever interest you most.
Yes, you should start with the foundation, HTML, before learning about the things that depend on HTML
I've been asked by a recruiter for how many years I'm testing HTML5/CCS3, and I never thought if our app uses any of those, and our UI developer is not online at the moment to ask. I googled it and found on yahoo answers that the source code for the HTML5 page will have
<!DOCTYPE html>
in it at the top. Is that the only thing to be sure it's HTML5?
What about css3? What should I look for in the code?
HTML5
HTML5 isn’t one big thing (see http://diveintohtml5.ep.io/introduction.html). There’s no easy way to tell if a given HTML page contains any HTML5 features other than listing all the new features in HTML5, and checking the page for them.
Differences between HTML5 and HTML4
The HTML5 doctype is a decent signal that the author intended the page as HTML5, but you can use it on HTML4 pages just as correctly, so it’s not really indicative in and of itself.
CSS3
CSS3 is even less one big thing, as CSS has been split into lots of individual modules which are expected to progress individually.
The modules are all listed on the following page. Selectors and CSS Color are considered finished; all the other modules are listed under the High Priority and Medium Priority headings. Unfortunately I don’t think each module lists which features were added after CSS 2.1, so you’d have to compare them to the 2.1 spec.
http://www.w3.org/Style/CSS/current-work
You can pretty much consider HTML and CSS as unversioned languages at this point. I’m sure that won’t stop recruiters asking for min 5 years HMTL-5 experience though.
just download the css files with wget/curl and look at the defs, as well as looking at the page source to see if you see any css3 transforms. Or use webkit/firebug to look at the css.
Due to the low level of support for HTML5 in older browsers should one (or could one) use any part of HTML5 at this point in time for a new website that will have varying users with the full spectrum of browsers (and versions) to access the site?
EDIT: To fill in some more info here. The website in question, for simplistic comparison, would resemble fb. I am not talking a social website just one that will reach that type of vast audience (anyone can join) and will be an interactive portal (not just a site full static content being displayed).
First, HTML5 is a standard that includes the previous standards. Therefore, you are already doing HTML5 without knowing it.
Second, HTML5 could be compared to CSS in terms of feature grouping (CSS = CSS1 + CSS2 + CSS3 and so on). In other words, it is a collection of individual features and not one big thing.
Third, you will have to implement new HTML5 features one day or another. Why wait? Ooh right some people do not care about "modern browsers". You have a responsibility as a Web developer/designer to inform people about the consequences of obsolete browsers.
Last but not least, there is tons of information already... Like this website: http://diveintohtml5.ep.io/.
Some complementary info can be found from this answer and this other answer I wrote for other questions about HTML5.
Have fun! :)
Thank god MS is finally campaigning to get gid of IE6 but it surely will be in China for years to come due to pirated windows software which I had altogether too much experience with; despite this push for higher standards tons still use IE7, 8, and some even 9 is not perfect. Chrome IMOP is exceptional followed by Safari and FF for HTML5 support but even these browsers are not perfect.
I think it is ok to use features css3 and HTML5 such as canvas but in an unobtrusive manner like javascript enhances UI HTML5/CSS3/jQuery should enhance not be the content.
With javascript we can check for browsers and use appropriate methods this concept should also be applied to HTML5. So if you do implement anything I think it's important to understand how to detect and this is probably the best resource to start with.
http://diveintohtml5.ep.io/detect.html
You can use all of the new HTML Field types in forms safely, any HTML 5 inputs in browsers which don't support html 5 will simply fall-back to a standard type="text" inputs.
Mobiles currently seem to benefit from HTML 5 forms most at the moment as they recognise the input type, lets say "email" and then provide an email specific keyboard layout to the user.
Its also simple to provide JavaScript fall backs for some html 5 elements with http://www.modernizr.com/
I created this question as community wiki in the hope that it and its answers will be edited as the situation with HTML5 changes.
Time to use HTML5?
This question gets trotted out about once a year, so I might be beating a dead horse, but is it finally time (in the summer of 2010) to use HTML5 when developing a brand new web site?
Related HTML5 Questions on Stack Overflow
Is it time to start developing with HTML5? ('09 edition)
Is it time to start using HTML5? ('08 edition)
Any reason not to start using the HTML 5 doctype?
Is there any pros to use HTML 5 doctype <!DOCTYPE html> even if i’m not using any new HTML 5 tag?
Is valid HTML5 OK to use now
Is it too early to use HTML5
Edit as a follow on
Is it a mixed bag: i.e. use these tags safely but stay away from x, y, z?
We are far far away, see:
When can i use...
But you can dive into it by following:
Progressive enhancement
Graceful Degradation
for the moment :)
I think you'd probably get better feedback if you clarified what you mean by 'use html5'. That covers a lot of different functionality, some of it not even finalized. Are you planning on using it all... or just certain pieces (like the tag?) Whether its a good idea to use it now is going to depend on what pieces of HTML5 you are talking about.
It depends what you mean by HTML 5. You can use the doctype now, and many of the features are backward-compatible, so you can use them now and they will fallback gracefully. Other tags just won't work, and so you have to be more judicious.
Not until 2022 (if they stay on schedule).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTML5#cite_note-techrepublicref-8
Regarding the "When can I use" link posted by Sarfraz - wow, that's an awful lot of extra work, waste of time, and consideration that could all be avoided if you just drop HTML5 and use Silverlight, Flex, or JavaFX. Any virtual machine based solution is going to beat fighting an endless battle with browser wars.
Is your site ready to abandon half the internet?
Yes, it's time! By two reasons:
It already works
It speeds up development of HTML5 compatibility
Use it with caution though! Using the simplified doctype and the new semantic markup tags will not hurt, but just do good. Using canvas and the media tags with no fallback might be a couple of years too early.
I wish! Wouldn't that be great! I guess if you have a site that has a high enough demand that people will upgrade their browsers then go for it. It seems like people are more attached to their old browsers than super glue is to fingers.
According to readwriteweb, as of May 2010, 46% of users use browsers with html5 support. So, maybe we are over 50% now. But it really comes down to your audience - if you are targetting the general population, I would say it's a definitely too early. But if you are targetting a more tech-savvy audience, maybe not. Of course, degrade as gracefully as possible.
Link: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/46_of_internet_users_ready_for_html5.php
EDIT: Yes, the study mentioned in the readwriteweb reference was done by Chitika, and was based on HTML 5 video support. Chrome, Safari 3 and up, and Firefox 3.5 and up were consider "HTML 5".