Comments on: The Great Web Hope: HTML5 On Mobile Still A Work In Progress

By: Bob Loblaw

Bob Loblaw — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 17:49:40 +0000

The reason adoption is slow is that developing rich or complex apps in HTML5 sucks. Disclosure: I’m a long-time HTML/JS and Flash developer. The issues with developing these types of applications in HTML5 are the same that they were years ago. Instead of having developing for a single platform/vendor (Flash, iOS, Java, Android, etc), you are developing towards 3 or more at the same time, one for each major browser. Yes, HTML is a standard, but each browser still handles things differently and this is made exponentially worse with complex, rich media applications. Not only that, but coding in Javascript leaves a lot to be desired for application developers, after using languages like Java, C#, or Flash’s AS3. It’s not anywhere near as robust.

Example: We built an HTML5 piece for a major client recently. It performs the same or WORSE cpu-wise than Flash (unless hardware acceleration was working), and is rendered differently in each of the 3 top browsers. This is doing simple animation stuff that we could do in Flash 10 years ago. The HTML5 version as took longer to develop and eats more bandwidth, since it was entirely code-based and required a shit load of shims, libraries, and workarounds to even get going. We used all the latest trendy toys, the latest jQuery, Modernizr, etc. The only advantage we are seeing with HTML5 over Flash for that is that it works nicely on iOS. Everything else is not advantageous.

By: Kahlil

Kahlil — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 19:55:58 +0000

The only problem with frameworks is that they have their own learning curve and often have to make assumptions about a developers skill set as they balance usability against functionality. Some of them even use a proprietary syntax that not only adds to the complexity but that goes against the main reasons everyone gives for single web standards in the first place: the idea that no one company should control the technology that underlies the web as well as fighting the fragmentation that is a natural offspring of commercial competition.

By: DRinaldi

DRinaldi — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 16:41:39 +0000

Interesting you don’t mention hybrid apps in your article. Either you’re not aware of the largest growing trend in the development community (not likely) or you’ve conveniently ignored it because it didn’t fit your narrative. Frameworks such as PhoneGap and Sencha have progressed to the point of maturity where their adoption and support has reached a tipping point and gives developers a way for HTML5 apps to take advantage of a majority of phone features not available to pure web apps. Of course you will not have the full breadth of control you get with a native app, but unless you are a gaming developer it will work for your purposes 90% of the time. Also with Google, Apple and MS all putting their collective weight behind this technology we’re going to see things advance rapidly in the next 2 years. Think back through web history and try and remember a time where the biggest players all agreed on a single standard.

By: Kahlil

Kahlil — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 13:59:58 +0000

Great article. I’ve been warning students and colleagues that while they should start learning HTML5 they should take it slow with HTML5 adoption. The only thing I would note is that the quote in the article about it being easier to do things in HTML5 is not entirely true. Some things would seem to be easier but for a full, branded implementation of some even common functionality (i.e., video) it would require all of the main three client side languages, (HTML5, CSS3, and javaScript). So I don’t consider it an ‘everyman’ type of endeavor. Many experienced developers will probably still need a tool or code library to help stay on top of the complexity. For newer developers, say looking to add job skills they can monetize, they will have a harder time with this new web workflow.