Last updated on 2012-03-13, by video

Top 10 Reasons You Should Start to Use HTML5

HTML5 definition from Wikipedia

HTML5 is a language for structuring and presenting content for the World Wide Web, and is a core technology of the Internet originally proposed by Opera Software. It is the fifth revision of the HTML standard (created in 1990 and standardized as HTML4 as of 1997) and as of March 2012 is still under development. Its core aims have been to improve the language with support for the latest multimedia while keeping it easily readable by humans and consistently understood by computers and devices (web browsers, parsers, etc.). HTML5 is intended to subsume not only HTML 4, but XHTML 1 and DOM Level 2 HTML as well.

WebM is a remarkable video format that can work with HTML5 websites, so of you want to enjoy video of any formats on HTML5 sites, you can Convert MOV to WebM, Convert FLV to WebM, Convert MKV to WebM, Convert AVI to WebM, etc. Or you can also enjoy HTML5 WebM video on various players: play WebM video on Windows Media Player, import WebM to iMovie, convert WebM video to Windows Movie Maker, etc. So enjoy more with HTML5.

Have you ever considered using HTML5? Maybe there are many reasons that block the way to make use of HTML5: it has not been widely supported or it is not well compatible with IE or you just want to write more strict XHTML code. HTML5 is a major change in the web development world so whether you like it or not it represents the future trend. In fact, it is not so difficult to understand and use HTML5. We can list many reasons why we have to start using HTML5.

1. Accessibility

There are two reasons to make HTML5 websites setup simpler: the semantics and its ARIA. New HTML5 tags like < header >, < footer >, < nav >, < section >, < aside >, etc., which make users access to the content easier. In the past, even if you define class or ID your readers have no chance to understand what div is. You can have a better understanding of HTML document as well as creating a better user experience by adopting the new semantics definition label.
ARIA bases on W3C standard which is mainly used for designating “role” in HTML document elements. It is quite essential to create page terrains like header, footer, navigation or article via role property. It had been overlooked and not to be used extensively, and as a matter of fact it is not validated.

2. Video and Audio Support

So it is time to forget flash and other third-party applications, and get ready to get approach to resources through HTML5 tags <video> and <audio>. It is quite a terrible matter to play media accurately for you have to use <embed> and <object> tags and prepare a lot of parameters. You media tags will be complicated with lots of confusing codes. And HTML5 video and audio tags regarded them as images: <video src=””/>. What about the other parameters such as width or height or automatic playback? Don’t worry, you only need to define them as other HTML tags: < video SRC = “width =” 640 “url px height =” 380 “px” autoplay / >.

As a matter of fact, it is quite a simple process, however, our old browsers may not like our HTML5 so you have to add more codes so as to let them work. And the codes will be simpler than <embed> and <object>.

3. Doctype

Yes, that’s the doctype, no more content. Is it a very short answer? You do not need to copy and paste a pile of codes which can not be understood and also there will be no redundant head tags. The great news is that, in addition to simplicity, it can work in every browser normally even if it is the notorious IE6.

4. Clearer Codes

If you prefer short-answer, elegant, easy-to-read code words, and HTML5 is absolutely a tailor for you. HTML5 allows you to write simple and clear codes with rich descriptions. Codes complied with the semantics allow you to separate style and content. Look at the typical simple heaer code with navigation:
<div>  <h1>Header Text</h1>  <div>   <ul>    <li><a href=”#”>Link</a></li>    <li><a href=”#”>Link</a></li>    <li><a href=”#”>Link</a></li>   </ul>  </div> </div>

It is quite simple, right? But it will be more simple and meaningful after using HTML5:
<header>  <h1>Header Text</h1>  <nav>   <ul>    <li><a href=”#”>Link</a></li>    <li><a href=”#”>Link</a></li>    <li><a href=”#”>Link</a></li>   </ul>  </nav> </header>

By using HTML5, you can solve with the div and its class definition problems via The HTML header label description content of semantics.  In the past you need to use a lot of div to define every page content areas, and not by employing new < section >, < article >, < header >, < footer >, < aside > and < nav > tags, you need to make your code clearer and easier to read.

5. More Intelligent Storage

The coolest characteristic of HTML5 is the local storage. It is a bit like the combination of the old technology cookie and the client database. It works better than cookie because it supports multiple Windows storage. With better security and performance, it can also store even if the browser is turned off.

Because it is a client database, you don’t have to worry about that the users will delete any cookie, and it supports all main browsers.

The local storage is good under many cases for it is realizable without a third-party tool. Saving data to user’s browser means that you can simply create some application features such as: save the user information, caching data, loading application condition.

6. Better Interaction

We all like better interaction, we all like web sites have dynamic feedback so users can enjoy the process of interaction. Input < canvas >, the HTML drawing tag allows you to do more interactions and animations, just like the effect we can achieve by using Flash.

In addition to < canvas >, HTML5 has a lot of API that allow you to create better user experience and more dynamic web application. Here is a list:

●Drag and Drop (DnD)

●Offline storage database

●Browser history management

●Document editing

●Timed media playback

7. Game Development

That’s right, you can use HTML < canvas > to develop game. HTML5 provides a great, mobile friendly way to develop interesting interactive games. If you develop Flash games, you will like HTML5 game development.

Let’s look at some interesting games:

●HTML5 Gaming Development Lesson One

●HTML5 Gaming Development Lesson Two

●HTML5 Gaming Development Lesson Three

●HTML5 Gaming Development Lesson Four

8. Across-Browser Support

All your modern popular browsers support HTML5 (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Opera and IE9), and HTML5 doctype has been created so that all the browsers even the old and disgusting ones like IE6 browser can take advantage of it. But old browser can recognize doctype doesn’t mean that it can handle HTML5 tags and function. Fortunately, HTML5 has made development simpler and with more browsers support, so old IE browser can use the new elements by adding add javascript code:

<!–[if lt IE 9]><script src=”http://html5shiv.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/html5.js”></script> <![endif]–>

9. Mobility

You may call it “instinct”, but I think that the mobile technology will become more popular. Here are some very crazy speculations—Mobile is a fashion! Mobile devices will occupy the world. When HTML 5 is more accepted by mobile devices it will grow very quickly. This means that more users will choose mobile devices to get access to websites or web applications. With news that Adobe announced to give up mobile flash development, you would consider using HTML5 to develop webp applications.

When the phone browser supports the HTML5 fully, the development project will be as simple as developing a smaller display. There are many meta tags allow you to optimize mobile:

viewport: allows you to define viewport width and zoom set

●full screen browser: ISO designated number allows Apple equipment full screen mode display

●Home screen ICONS: just like the desktop collections, these ICONS can be used to add

●collection to the Home page of IOS and Android mobile equipment.

10. It Is the Future

The biggest reason today you have to begin using HTML5 because it is the future, don’t let behind! HTML5 won’t go to each direction, but more and more elements have been adopted by many companies and have been put into development. In fact HTML5 likes HTML so it is not a new technology which you need to study! If you are developing XHTML strict you now have joined in the development of HTML5 actually. Why don’t you enjoy the complete functions of HTML5?

Actually you don’t have any excuses to refuse HTML5. You can consider using HTML5 to write codes, it can help you to change the way you write code. Begin to use HTML5 to write web applications now, perhaps the next mobile application or the game application is developed with HTML5!