We’ve heard the discussion about HTML eventually taking over the universe but I think this may be the first time I’ve heard Eric Schmidt say it directly and so succinctly. I’d have to double-check word for word, but the quote I heard was:
“HTML 5 is the way almost all applications will be built, including for phones.”
That kind of blows my mind. If HTML 5 takes over then is Android really that big of an advantage for Google? Won’t all the other platforms be able to leverage HTML 5 to create competitors more on par with Android? Google’s big business is advertising so… do they even care?
Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments and feel free to vote in the poll!
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HTML5 could potentially do a whole lot if the device APIs and operating system permit broad and deep access to core functions, sensors, etc. HTML5 would simply be the glue that allows you to build apps that pretty much have the same functionality as native apps do today. The lack of rendering APIs for things like 3D doesn’t allow someone to create such apps in HTML5 today. Eventually this will be much less of an issue. You can almost see where Eric S is moving people to thinking of the world in the context of Chrome OS. Ultimately Android as a OS may offer a super robust set of constructs that would allow HTML5 to provide a amazing experience on. The same HTML5 app on another platform (let’s say for example Win7Mo or iOS) may not even compare if similar constructs are not exposed by the OS.
ummm, html5 is web apps, to be honest web apps are good for some things but regular old apps aren’t going away any time soon.
Based on the majority of comments, and general knowledge of the subject, I think it’s safe to call Eric’s statement false at best, but more accurately misguided and ignant… No?
I’m glad that honeycomb will come with renderscript for low level 3D acess and a new low latency api for audio.
@bob: I’m not one to close my mind and say it couldn’t be done, but I am curious how, say, “World of Warcraft” could be made including their anti-cheat functions and done in a way their “source” would be secure. Also, do you think HTML 5 would be fast enough to handle a full blown tier 1 game and not just proof of concept apps?
I long for the day Windows loses its foot hold on games.. which is really the only thing windows has other os’s don’t. But don’t give me false hope bob.. don’t do it.
@jmax, HTML5 will be ratified in 2014. It was previously planned to be ratified in 2022. It’s been brought *forward*, not postponed, eight years and most features are ready to use now (although you do need a JS shim for IE). It will move to last call status later this year, which is good and bad. Good because the proposed standard can be implemented with a lot more confidence. Bad because the standard will be practically set in stone. Plugins like Unity and Flash will do a hell of a lot of innovating between now and 2014 and beyond. They already can do much, much more than HTML5 although I think it’s a good situation if 95% of the things on the web are implemented using standards and only 5% is the optional, cutting-edge plugin stuff.
I think that by the time HTML5 gets good enough to be used by anyone in their phone, Nokia-MS partnership will have failed anyway, so it won’t affect Google.
Developing in Html and javascript compared to Java sucks big time!
The apps that you want to buy will not be made with HTML5.
Brad 2: search youtube for WebGL which is part of html5. mind = blown
Len: one of the main features of html5 is saving all or part of the website locally, using only as much bandwidth as current apps.
teleclimber: right on! run through any list of top 100 apps, html5 can pretty much do it all.
HTML5 will be good for many things but not all. Third party software/plug-ins will always be required for a speedy evolution to occur.
There are many very important things that HTML5 cannot do (once it’s finalized). So is the world supposed to patiently wait until 2035 for HTML6?
So, HTML5 will become just like Flash eventually in the “Write once, read everywhere” sense?
History repeats itself… Get some poorly executed version and leave some people disappointed and someone is probably going to pipe up with another product they believe is a better solution. And the cycle continues.
Not that I’m against that, missteps lead to innovation and that leads to competition and that benefits us all. I just don’t feel some people should give Flash the bad rap that they do.
Android is built on Linux and Java. Linux and Java are available to competitors. Therefore competitors will catch up and destroy Android. Must be a slow news day.
I think many of you underestimate the capabilities that HTML5 and modern browsers offer, and how quickly things are changing.
About a year ago browser makers and web designers basically decided to shun “standards” in favor of a free-for-all innovate or die model. The result is browsers like Chrome and IE9 that offer deep integration with the desktop and “installable apps”.
I am currently building an HTML5 “web-app” that doesn’t use the web at all. No internet connection needed at all, ever, once it’s installed. Yes it will be able to save your data, even as a text file on your hard drive if you wish. I haven’t written a single line of server-side code, in fact there is no server, period.
Those of you saying “it will never do X” could very well end up eating your words. We’re already seeing simple photo-editors in HTML5, and there is plenty more innovation to come.
Oh, the websites will take over thing again?
I already have a choice of using the web version of GMail or the native Android version. The native version wins EVERY time.
Also, have no internet connection? You are screwed!
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Websites are websites, native programs are native programs.
I refuse to call them HTML5 apps because they are websites that are made to the HTML5 standards.
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@2.jmax: HTML5 is a standard for HTML and not a product. They can’t hold off people using it till 2014, it is already slowly being added to all the modern browsers. Although Google and Apple have been pushing the standard way too fast and endangering the stability of the standard.