Ask HN: Does HTML5 excite you? Why or why not? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: Does HTML5 excite you? Why or why not?

#71

Post by rimantas » Tue, Dec 01, 2009, 5:39 AM UTC

Semiapies wrote: post #63

simonw wrote: post #38

As a client- and server-side developer I'm extremely excited about HTML5. For the first time in a decade, browsers are getting new capabilities! HTML 5 is much more than just new tags - we're talking offline support, concurrency with web workers, canvas, geolocation, native audio and video, WebSockets, a supported method of making cross-domain API calls... HTML 5 is clearly aiming to bring the open web platform up to…

None of these things require HTML 5, and all of the worthwhile things had workable implementations before HTML 5. Formal specifications for things that had de facto cross-browser support for multiple browser generations are nice , but not amazing. "This is the first time our core platform has seen any serious evolution since HTML4.01 was published in 1999!" And that's just simply untrue, but oh, well. "I'm amazed to…

Can you list _worthwhile things had workable implementations before HTML 5_ and the stuff they implemented before HTML5? ? ? local storage?

Re: Ask HN: Does HTML5 excite you? Why or why not?

#72

Post by fauigerzigerk » Tue, Dec 01, 2009, 9:09 AM UTC

rimantas wrote: post #69

fauigerzigerk wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It doesn't matter whether I can use XML. What matters is that some people will use a new syntax and all the integration hassles and incompatibilities will start once again. Why is it a good idea to invent yet another syntax that is almost the same but not quite compatible? Looking at the ridiculous guru culture that has formed around minor obscure CSS features is very telling. When that happens to a technology I call…

What new syntax are you talking about? There is no new syntax in HTML5.

Yes there is: http://www.w3.org/QA/2008/01/html5-is-html-and-xml.html

"HTML 5 is being written in two syntaxes: html and XML. Because SGML has never been deployed in browsers and many html authoring tools, HTML 5 defines a new serialization called html, which looks a lot like the previous known SGML."

Re: Ask HN: Does HTML5 excite you? Why or why not?

#73

Post by Semiapies » Tue, Dec 01, 2009, 9:18 PM UTC

rimantas wrote: post #71

Semiapies wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

None of these things require HTML 5, and all of the worthwhile things had workable implementations before HTML 5. Formal specifications for things that had de facto cross-browser support for multiple browser generations are nice , but not amazing. "This is the first time our core platform has seen any serious evolution since HTML4.01 was published in 1999!" And that's just simply untrue, but oh, well. "I'm amazed to…

Can you list _worthwhile things had workable implementations before HTML 5_ and the stuff they implemented before HTML5? ? ? local storage?

With Canvas, you might have a point, though it makes a poor justification for the rest of HTML 5. I've yet to need Canvas for anything, though. Video is silly to even ask about. Google Gears rather predated HTML 5 local storage.

Now, give me something I couldn't do before with nearly-universal plugins.

Re: Ask HN: Does HTML5 excite you? Why or why not?

#74

Post by walesmd » Fri, Dec 04, 2009, 2:47 AM UTC

henriklied wrote: post #41

walesmd wrote: post #14

Both. Nope. It just bloats what we already have in xHTML 1.1. Sure, I can throw a header or section tag around a block, but I still have to use divs. It's just another level I need to indent at this point in time.

Sorry, which new features do you imagine available in XHTML 1.1 that aren't there in HTML 4.01? Let me help you count: Zero. HTML5 is very little about e.g. the HEADER element, and much more about the underlying support for other features, such as geolocation, native sound and video, crossdomain XMLHTTPRequest, offline support and (yes,) much more.

xHTML encourages well written, consistently formatted, code which is probably its most important feature.

Many of the HTML5 features you mentioned I don't see as being features that belong within a document structure language. Geolocation and Crossdomain XMLHTTPRequest are browser issues they have nothing to do with a document and don't belong in a spec for a document definition.

Native sound/video and offline support, of course, I agree with. But, if your application doesn't have the need for either of these features - what does HTML5 offer?