HTML5

HTML5 is currently under development as the next major revision of the HTML standard. Like its immediate predecessors, HTML 4.01 and XHTML 1.1, HTML5 is a standard for structuring and presenting content on the World Wide Web. New standards will include elements such as video playback, a canvas element for 2D drawing, drag and drop, geolocation and many more elements are in the specification.

Work on the HTML5 specification began in June 2004. When released, it will become the web's new and future markup language. But it is 2010. What's taking so long for this specification to take root?

Actually, there is support in browsers such as Chrome, Firefox 3.5, Opera and Safari. Notice that one major browser is not mentioned here. Maybe the question should be - if I wait for the unmentioned browser to come on board with this specification, will I be left behind?

Damn right you'll be left behind! A fast and infinitive YES. Don't let the browser wars keep you from getting ramped up on this upcoming technology. It's key for those of us who design and develop to stay current with future standards and be ready to implement these standards as they are released. How?

If you haven't found sites using HTML5, there's a gallery where you can browse web sites that are implementing the new technology. It's called HTML5 Gallery and here you can see how other people are using the new HTML5 elements.

Here's where practice comes in, practice makes perfect. View these sites, experiment with the new elements, and start using elements in your development where you can get away with it. Currently, no automatic markup tools support this specification so you will have to learn to code this by hand.

A lot of corporate development teams have reservations about adding the new HTML5 elements to their arsenal. The main reason for this is the direction in which HTML5 is taking the web. I think HTML5 had enough new and interesting features to be well worth exploring. I myself have taken an online course to take advantage of a quick learning experience. This course was offered by SitePoint which I highly recommend if you are serious about getting your skills around the future of web development.