The HTML 5 era coming soon?

[Jackolantern]

A little while ago I clicked an Internet Explorer 9 ad I saw. Not because I was interested in IE 9 per se, but because I was quite amused by the fact that the ad was made with Flash, as opposed to Silverlight ("c'mon guys...we are supposed to be using our own product for public content...please?"). However, I came across something more interesting than the laugh that may have been worth:

Microsoft discusses working with web standards organizations to add cross-browser compatible HTML 5 support in Internet Explorer 9

Is it hot air? Is it "Yes we did follow standards" until you get under the hood and find out "Oh, but not for most of that stuff, and here is some free proprietary functionality", yet again? Or is Microsoft finally learning that their browser is what is holding the web back? Or is it just a strategic jump on the fact that Firefox's HTML5 support is lacking right at the moment when Microsoft is due to release a new browser?

I personally have not downloaded the beta yet (which is available from a link on the above URL), but I actually do not really know enough about the new features in HTML5 to take it for a proper test drive. I would love to hear what any HTML5 aficionados have to say about it, though.

(Of course, even if the new version is 100% HTML5 compliant, it will still be years before a majority of IE users are updated. But at least we would know the date is coming, just like the death of IE 6. It is in the mail, and all you have to do is wait )

[hallsofvallhalla]

haha, it does amaze me how unorganized the most profitable industry in the history of the world is. People expect everyone who uses the internet to be internet savvy and we all know that is so far from the truth.

I think we should have internet tests like driver's test. If can't drive then you do not belong on the roads, if you fall for stupid scams, use the crappiest browser known to man, think that every pop up is a virus and all the other internet hype then you do not belong on it.

[Jackolantern]

Now we are just discussing Utopian societies

[hallsofvallhalla]

haha so true! I can dream though right?

[kaos78414]

IE9's HTML5 support is too little too late IMO. I've heard that IE9 will be the last official IE release ever though! So I'm pretty happy about that, though I wish that happened forever ago.

Honestly, even with all the support they are boasting, they're still behind. They're not as far behind, but they're still behind. That's pretty embarrassing if you ask me.

At the same time, there is no perfect browser, and I'll be finding workarounds for years to get cross-browser support for all my web applications.

It's funny how much CSS I have to write to get rounded corners in Opera, FF, Safari and Chrome still. Full CSS3 support IMO is more needed then HTML5, even though HTML5 does come with some cool tools, I can't wait to stop writing this:

Code: Select all

div#rounded-corners {
-moz-border-radius: 5px;
-webkit-border-radius: 5px;
border-radius: 5px
}

Here's a good side-by-side comparison: http://www.findmebyip.com/litmus#target-selector

It's amazing how unbalanced they are in every aspect. At this point, even in 2011 we won't be able to use all the code we want to take advantage of, because browsers available simply can't read it. *sadface*

[Jackolantern]

I don't think IE9 is the last release of IE. Why would Microsoft stop releasing a product that makes them so much money (not directly, but from making Windows "everything someone needs" and keeping them from looking at other software)?

[OldRod]

I thought I read that IE9 was the last release for the XP operating system, not the last release ever?

[Jackolantern]

I thought I read that IE9 was the last release for the XP operating system, not the last release ever?

That is likely what he heard. No software producer would ever say "this is the last version of X we are ever making". Why would they do that? Whereas XP support is due to be scaled down soon.

[hallsofvallhalla]

Bungie did..multi million dollar game and they quit.

[Jackolantern]

Bungie did..multi million dollar game and they quit.

Actually, I was thinking regular software since games do it all the time (even if they do break the promise 80% of the time within 10 years). But what game are you talking about that Bungie quit making? I'm not too up on my Bungie knowledge, and only know of Halo, and they released a new one something like a week or two ago.