is it too early to accept HTML 5 ?

Question

HTML 5 has interesting features for developer and user, but if customers are still demanding to have support for old browsers should designer/developer go for HTML 5 ? Or should stick to good old ways using JavaScript libraries, flex and flash to do the heavy lifting.

If accepting HTML 5 is too early, how long you think it will take to use HTML 5 features for big web application? (hear by big i mean application still reaching huge number of users with different OS and browsers combination)

Do you think HTML5 will carry all the issues(cross browser stuff) that web developers have faced over decade, or it will make life easier?

Answer 1

In a word: Yes.

People are STILL using IE6, and will be using IE7 for many years to come. If you're creating a public-facing application then you have to take into account browsers that may be being used by millions of potential visitors.

There are features that will degrade gracefully, and those are great.

If you're building a web based app that's not public, then you can go ahead an use whatever you like. I do a lot of development work where the final project is limited to a specific browser but in those cases the application is never available to the public.

Sitepoint has some very nice articles about this very subject:

• http://articles.sitepoint.com/article/html-5-snapshot-2009
• http://www.sitepoint.com/blogs/2009/05/26/html-5-now-or-never/

Also, check out the following to see what browsers support what new up-and-coming (or been here a while) features:

• http://a.deveria.com/caniuse/

Answer 2

I recommend you take in use any new feature you think is interesting but make them degrade gracefully. It can be a bit of work, but that's the life you choose if you go outside the life of using libraries. However you will probably learn some very valuable skills.

Answer 3

No, I think it isn't early.

Start now and slowly start adopting new elements (except video/audio as they are the least supported). For IE, you have JS solution that adds new elements and adds ability to style them.

Try, really. You'll see how much it's easier to tag your document :)

Answer 4

When people talk about "cross browser issues" they almost always mean "IE issues". Modern browsers, that is, anything but IE, pretty much work well with modern standards and practices and dumbing down the web just for IE is just sad.

There are a number of javascript workarounds to make older, non-standard browsers like IE work with HTML5 though I don't recall them off the top of my head but parts of HTML5 can be made to work easily in IE; such as the new elements aside, section, etc.

In my situation, we just completed an ecommerce solution using HTML5 elements with no problems but had to include the workarounds and hacks for IE.

Answer 5

Naturally, you need to take your audience into account. Check your analytics. But there are some great tools if you want to take advantage without leaving everyone behind:

<!--[if IE]>
<script src="http://html5shiv.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/html5.js"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
<![endif]-->

I'd also recommend you take some time at html5doctor.com where they discuss what can and can't be used now. A really cool resource they are working on is the html5 reset: html5doctor.com/html-5-reset-stylesheet/

Oh, and use ogg ;)

Answer 6

Using HTML 5 isn't an all-or-nothing solution, much like CSS3 there are specific features you can start using today that will enhance your sites for browsers capable of using them.

It's up to you to make a decision on what those features are and how far you can take them. If IE6 and no-Javascript are big factors in your audience, then this will likely be limited. However, if you are happy for those users to get a not-so-pretty but still-usable experience then go ahead!