Chapter 10. What’s Up, HTML5?
We’ve been using HTML5 elements in the past several chapters, but there is a lot more to the HTML5 specification than new markup possibilities (although that is an important part). HTML5 is actually a bundle of new methods for accomplishing tasks that previously required special programming or proprietary plug-in technology such as Flash or Silverlight. It offers a standardized, open source way to put audio, video, and interactive elements on the page as well as the ability to store data locally, work offline, take advantage of location information, and more. With HTML5 for common tasks, developers can rely on built-in browser capabilities and not need to reinvent the wheel for every application.
HTML5 offers so many promising possibilities, in fact, that it has become something of a buzzword with connotations far beyond the spec itself. When marketers and journalists use the term “HTML5,” they are sometimes referring to CSS3 techniques or any new web technology that isn’t Flash. In this chapter you’ll learn what is actually included in the spec, and you can join the rest of us in being slightly irked when the HTML5 label is applied incorrectly. The important thing, however, is that mainstream awareness of web standards is certainly a win and makes our job easier when communicating with clients.
Of course, with ...
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