What's the deal with HTML 5?

Everyone has heard of HTML (HyperText Markup Language), its a relatively easy to learn language that allows for the quick creation of web sites. That description is clear, to the point and no one will ever dispute it.

But then, along comes HTML5 to rock the boat a little bit and that description is both vague and very far from the point. So, what is HTML5? HTML5 is HTMLs latest major revision, with a lot of added features and exciting attributes.

To most, understanding all of these new features may be a little bit overwhelming and at first glance may seem a little bit unnecessary, but when you dig deeper into it a new and exciting world will open up to you, not just as developers and designers but for users as well.

Recently, focus.com published an infographic that has been designed for the uninitiated to get a better understanding of HTML5 and to be a quick reference for developers. Check it out at their website.

What about HTML 5 and CSS 3? (IMA)

A lot of neat and exciting things are happening in the world of the web. With the advancement of both HTML 5 and CSS 3, the way we experience the web will soon be changing dramatically. Some argue that HTML 5 will mean the downfall of Flash. It is already being used on mobile devices to allow the viewing of videos and audio players. Despite these advancements, one major browser is a constant hold up. I'll let you guess which one that is!

For those of you who aren't familiar with Internet Explorer's lack of 'web standards', here is a graph of the different browsers' standing as far as preparing for HTML 5. This file was provided by Focus.com (click here to download the full graphic). You can see that Internet Explorer is SIGNIFICANTLY behind in regards to HTML 5.

And this doesn't stop at HTML 5. Most of these other browsers support such things as rounded corners, drop-shadows, text replacement, and other elements of CSS 3. But because of the lack of acceptance by the Microsoft giant, these elements are better used for prototyping the site and then creating time-consuming graphics to emulate these styles.

Designers may be used to creating these elements as graphics, but the efficiency of doing it in the stylesheets cannot be denied.

HTML5Readiness.com has an interesting graph with browser readiness for a number of HTML5 and CSS3 elements. In Microsoft's favor, they are getting better with every new release of their web browser (IE9 is said to be CSS3 Compatible), however, one must wonder why the corporate giant is still significantly behind the rest as far as compatibility to new web standards. Based on this graph, you'll notice that despite the promises of the latest IE release, it is still on the outskirts of the compatibility circle.

The ugly truth about this is that still to this day, the majority of web users browse with a version of Internet Explorer. Also, many of these advancements in web design are not compatible with older browsers of any version. So all of this must be considered. As far as a client is concerned, they generally want their site to look the same across ALL browsers. So all the wonderful features becoming available must be put on a back pocket and saved for a personal site or a special use case.