Web development is a strange place sometimes. It can be unpredictable and fun, but frustrating and challenging. One thing that is constantly required of anybody working within the field (or almost any tech. related field) is to remain vigilant over the advances of technology and options available to designers. Of course, the buzz right now is over HTML5, and from what I’m reading, most people seem to be excited about the video tag.
I’m not one to jump on the debate over whether or not HTML5 will be the flash killer, but I am interested in the actual changes being made. So allow me to be blunt, the video tag, in its current form, honestly doesn’t excite me that much. I see why it’s being done and I think in a lot of ways its long overdue, but lets be honest here: HTML is a markup language. It exists to simplify and provide universal and simple application that is quick and easily implemented. That being said, I don’t mean to come across negative or pompous, it’s not like I am an amazing actionscript or javascript expert, who builds all my websites using obfuscated scripts to show off how amazing I am. I’m primarily a designer. As a designer, I’m excited about changes that make my job easier and enhance my ability to make my imagination reality. Video helps, but using just HTML lacks the depth I need to push the envelope in any way that outside languages (CSS, java, actionscript, php, etc) make possible, and for the most part necessary, for developers.
The designers of HTML5 know this. And according to the always truthful wikipedia, this did not escape them:
“Some deprecated elements from HTML 4.01 have been dropped, including purely presentational elements such as and , whose effects are achieved using Cascading Style Sheets.”
This is great news, overlap between CSS and HTML especially has been bugging me for awhile. Not for any specific reason other than that I like clean and consistent code and its always a concern for me when two languages are “fighting” to do the same thing.
Anyway, the point is that lauding the video tag or any other aspect of HTML5 as ending the necessity or application of another language that does a lot more than just video, is silly and shortsighted. You could say that because HTML5 has some really neat new page structuring tags that it will soon come to replace CSS … if you didn’t know that whole aspects of HTML are being handed off to CSS to control. The fact is, now that developers won’t be spending time using flash to implement video, they can spend time using flash to do something else. Maybe that something will be entirely new; who knows? I just wouldn’t be so quick to spell “the end” on a technology that’s replacement was never part of the design… especially when their relationship is so symbiotic to begin with.
I’m super excited about HTML5, its new APIs, and significantly shorter introductory line, but I’m also excited about the relationship it will have with all of the other languages a web developer needs to build a website. Lets praise HTML5 for its noteworthy advancements and stop freaking over the potential SARS outbreak it will cause to Adobe’s territories. It’s probably just propaganda being spread by Apple to get you to buy more iPads anyway. Just ask YouTube what they think.
Entara Adun.
Some sources and Links:
Wiki-HTML5
HTML5 Video Usage
W3 – HTML5
