Learning HTML5

Insights and Observations

Video

Posted on by Mark DuBois

All I can say is, clearly not ready for prime time. I created a simple video page. Of course, different browsers support different codecs (or none at all). Therefore, I have to create a Theora Ogg format (yes, open source, but not readily available as one of the choices for more of the video converters I have at my disposal). Looked online and found Miro Converter. Ok, I have now downloaded one and made the necessary conversion. Even got a poster image from the video. Yes, lots of capabilities, but only Safari 5 appears to properly support the appropriate HTML5 <video> element. This has a long way to go before it is working in multiple browsers. At the time of this post (August, 2010), it would seem a whole lot easier to simply create a Flash snippet and embed the video accordingly. Just my 2 cents. Again, one must code for graceful degradation (just like for audio).

Posted in HTML5 | Leave a comment

Audio

Posted on by Mark DuBois

Obviously we need to include audio on certain web pages. While HTML5 employs the <audio> element to accomplish this, there are issues. Not all browsers support the same audio codecs. Therefore, one must code for a graceful degradation (much like we would do with JavaScript). Examine the source code of the linked example and you will see how I coded this. Note that I had to use the Ogg Vorbis open codec, the proprietary MP3 codec and as a last resort, I also included a choice to download the file. I probably should have also included an object element pointing to a Flash Player version (given the ubiquity of Flash Player these days).

Posted in HTML5 | Leave a comment

Testing SVG

Posted on by Mark DuBois

In addition to playing with HTML 5 a bit, I also have begun experimenting with SVG. What I find more amazing is that there are online tools to readily convert from JPEG to SVG format. I have also been experimenting with Inkscape on the desktop to develop some simple SVG images.

In the past, one needed the Adobe SVG plugin or similar), but that product has long ago been abandoned. Now, most browsers seem to support native SVG files with either an <object> element of <iframe> element. At the time of this writing, it appears <iframe> wins out a bit (sigh). However, to show what can presently be done with SVG, examine this sample page. Don't forget to view the source code. Note that even my photo is actually just SVG.

Posted in SVG | Leave a comment

Initial observations

Posted on by Mark DuBois

Although I have been working with HTML 5 for some time (and lurking on the HTML 5 working group of the W3C for several years), this is the first web site I have tried to develop entirely in HTML 5. Yes, I used the Dreamweaver templates and the Dreamweaver HTML5 pack (extension is mxp file). I do know how to write the code by hand, but I am interested in creating reasonably professional examples with a minimal amount of coding (which is why I am relying on these tools).

What I found interesting is how easy it is to create these pages (and they initially validate) using the tools (Dreamweaver CS5 and the extension). Well done, Adobe.

Second, I find it interesting that the majority of browsers marginally support the fundamentals of HTML5. OK, forms are an exception, but just the basic display and interpretation of the code seems to work in most. CSS is a separate matter, but I will concentrate on that later. One exception is Internet Explorer 8. Lots of rendering issues.

Posted in HTML5 | Leave a comment

Yes, this is WordPress

Posted on by Mark DuBois

So, why choose WordPress, simple, it is a nice blogging platform. With the default theme for version 3.0 (twentyten), the code is also HTML 5 (just view the source code for this page). Additional comments coming soon.

Posted in HTML5 | Leave a comment