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Crossing bridges with HTML5

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cross-platformI did more reading this week on HTML5 and found something I’d like to mention, since it helped me to wrap my head around why this is all exciting stuff.

Here’s a quote in an article discussing the importance of HTML5 in making cross-platform (i.e.: web, mobile, video-game,  etc.) applications:

HTML5 is important for two reasons, according to Sean O’Brien, director of technology and senior vice president at MRM Worldwide. “New elements like video and canvas allow native support for richer experiences, whereas Flash, Silverlight, or other plug-ins might be necessary,” he says. “Add geo-location to that and you can see how it changes what a Web site can deliver, especially for mobile applications.”

Second, the elements are more semantic in nature, such as article, section, and address. These help platforms, browsers and other technologies understand exactly what content exists on a page and therefore will help create systems that use the content in other more useful ways, O’Brien says.

It’s the second paragraph here that really intrigues me. I’m aware of what the new video and canvas tags can do, but it’s my understanding of what semantic mark-up means that helps me to see how HTML5 is truly cross-platform as explained in this excerpt. Now with uniformly named tags that convey intent like “section” or “article”, different platforms can take the same content and plug-it into whatever architecture they follow. We’ve been used to naming our divs in order to show what kind of content is in them, but the vehicle itself (the divs) are themselves just non-descript boxes.

A rough scenario I thought up to visualize this. Let’s say you’re moving away and beginning to pack up you’re stuff, but there’s a catch: you don’t know what type of what home you’re moving into yet, and it’s up to the movers to decide where to put your stuff once they arrive at this mystery future home of yours.

In the system of old, you had to pack up your place using the same, non-descript cardboard boxes (divs) that the moving company gave you (HTML). Once each one was filled, you used a Sharpie to label it (div ids) as a way to indicate where it goes. So moving day arrives and the movers come and take your stuff to your new home. They start to unload the boxes and run into a problem: what you wrote on your boxes doesn’t clearly show where things need to be. You labeled something “myRoom” but there are several rooms in this house. You have a box of “photos” but no indication of where they go. I’m sure you can see where this is going.

In the new system (HTML5), the moving company gives you differently pre-labeled boxes (like address, article, etc.) that, merely than just carry your stuff, clearly indicate to others what the contents are. Plus, the movers already understand these labels, rather than trying to decipher your vague (and if you’re me, poorly handwritten) Sharpie labels.  The movers are prepared to place your stuff in whatever configuration (the different platforms) your new house has, since the intent of your boxes is known to both parties.



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