HTML5 is the latest version of Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) for the web. It’s widely regarded in the industry as 3 types of code, HTML which structures the content, CSS which is responsible for structure and JavaScript which makes the pages interactive.
Its major advantage is having 1 single programming language to make web pages more interactive and functional for us as users. So that it doesn’t matter what platform we are using or what device, the web page is rendered in a more uniform and friendly format.
Standardizing How Pages are Parsed.
The HTML language has always been the common code to present pages of information on a web page, but HTML5 improved things by prescribing how the markup elements should be treated and parsed to render the content more uniform across platforms and browsers.
One of its main functions of HTML5 is to bring flexible codes such as JavaScript to web browsers. In industries such as online casino gaming (seen here) and in the finance industry where insurance companies, loans, FX, stocks, and other websites that need to make calculations and offer clientele interactive web services via a web browser.
We nearly stopped at HTML4.
In 2004 a crossroads came for what language would be the de-facto standard for the web. The latest version at the time was HTML4.01 and had not been updated for 4 years so, the W3C standards body (World Wide Web Consortium) were looking at a different language XHTML 2.0.
But a paper by Mozilla and Opera at the 2004 consortium workshop gained some traction and supported by Apple, they formed a group called Web Hypertext Application Technology Working Group (WHATWG) with HTML forming the basis for the technology.
These won favor with the W3C consortium and so HTML5 became the main focus for development. The backward compatibility meant easier adoption and upgrades from older HTML pages. Because it is cross-platform and non-proprietary there are no license fees to pay and it renders just as well whether you are using a mobile phone or server.
HTML5 Application Programming Interfaces
The API’s (application programming interfaces) are what makes HTML5 really powerful. The pages can be much more interactive and dynamic for the user. Most of the HTML5 tags can be controlled or parsed with JavaScript to give users more functionality.
A good example is the HTML5 canvas tag. Charts and graphs can be scripted to display different things as the user scrolls his mouse around the graphic.
Lots of custom graphics can be created with the canvas and the canvas API including games like Pirates Love Daisies.
HTML5 can play video and audio without the need for Flash or Silverlight because it has video and audio tags. For more info, take the HTML tutorial!
Why HTML5 is Special?
HTML5 continues to evolve and is improving over time. With this language as the web standard now, it has already brought about improvements for the web developer when it comes to creating and adding functionality to sites and for users when loading and interacting with web pages. This is especially useful in industries that need to offer interactive components on their website or online portals.
Another reason HTML5 is so special which we did not cover yet is that it eliminates the need for mobile apps. Imagine if you want to reach every smartphone user out there, an app will need designing for iOS, Android, Windows Mobile, and other mobile operating systems. However, as HTML5 brings all the features of an app to a web browser app, there is no need to design multiple times and maintain multiple apps.
OF course, with anything over the internet, you will need to make sure you follow the correct security procedures to ensure your connections are safe. Most websites use HTTPS which is 128-bit encrypted security certificate that encrypts your connection and communications with a website, but you should also follow these 4 mobile security rules.
