Should I start using HTML 5 in my websites? The new technology looks really cool. I'm not sure about this but does IE8 support it? I'm just looking for some opinions on this matter. Tell me what you think...
A:
... a lot of people still fight with IE6 compatibility. This would be a great time to ramp up the skill set for html 5 and be ready to go when the right time comes. Guess my vote would be 'not just yet'.
It is a good subject for a poll though :-)
vector
2009-08-02 21:47:42
+1
A:
As far as I know, no commonly used browser [fully] supports HTML 5, especially not IE* which still has trouble supporting CSS2. I would recommend waiting at least a year or two before making full use of this technology. Though, I see nothing wrong with having a few feature rich pages and then having a link at the bottom for "if you do not see anything up above" or whatever, as most users are not going to have a HTML5 browser at this point.
Earlz
2009-08-02 21:48:51
I even prefer progressive enhancement, so only the html supported users see enhancements, instead of doing the inverse.
Dykam
2009-08-02 21:51:38
+5
A:
HTML 5 is still under construction: W3C planned the release for august 2010. Browser will most likely wait until the standard is released before implementing the features.
The features most developers are waiting for are the audio, video and canvas tags. Major browser don't support these tags (fully) yet. Furthermore, the specification of these tags is still changing.
At the moment, I would still use HTML 4.01 or XHTML 1.0. All major browsers have good support for these standards.
Scharrels
2009-08-02 21:49:26
A:
Whether HTML 5 or XHTML 2 comes out or not, IMHO it doesn't really matter right now. What matters is what the user actually sees on your page, so therefore what the common browsers support. This is the reason there's the word "recommendation" in many of the W3's products. This is what they recommend, but the browsers still display what they their designers want them to. We will all be evolving to use new technology, but there's a gradual phase in. Instead you could focus on the release of IE 8, and look at what features it supports. Buts its going to take a little while before it becomes widely used and IE 6 & 7 die. I would also suggest HTML 4.01 or XHTML, because they are well supported. Given the choice, go for future compatibility vs. backward. But what really matters most of course is what browsers the people using your site use, so your server's traffic logs are imperative to look at. :D
CrazyJugglerDrummer
2009-08-03 00:11:38