WebRTC: Let’s pause a second for HTML 5 (Part 3)

Another in a series of articles describing the new emerging WebRTC initiative.

Let me step away from VoIP for a moment and discuss the intersection of some new technology and how it impacts our story.

While all of this is going on, the web world is having a similar but different type of problem. HTML, the underlying specification by which nearly everything on the web lives has undergone various revisions and gotten quite complex. In many ways, it’s similar to SIP, there is no standard HTML any more.

It is maddening today for an HTML programmer to try and create web content that looks the same across all platforms. Worse, HTML really isn’t smart about the newer devices such as tablets and smart phones.  A whole new industry was borne selling tools that helped HTML programmers develop across these multiple platforms. But these platforms cost money and further increase complexity.

Thus the industry has set out now to right a lot of the wrongs and has created HTML 5 which will require a whole new browser to be installed but likely will make it easier for programmers. HTML 5 has numerous enhancements, but for the reader looking for a short cut, here is what HTML5 offers:

• Built-in support for multimedia content
• Cleaner HMTL code (limiting the work arounds that had to be written)
• Local database storage (enabling the browser to store data locally)
• Reduced development time (some new stuff that will save programmers significant time in coding)
• Inherent support for mobile (work across all types of screen resolutions and sizes)

The unsaid thing about HTML5 is that you’ll be able to execute a lot more applications natively within the browsers without the help of a plug in or having to download an application. Now if you’re wondering whether HTML5 is ultimately bad news for Apple and it’s famed iTunes store and 100% control of how applications get on your iPhone, well, you’d be right.

.. continued