Excuse the minor rant here, but somebody’s got to speak out about this whole discussion of HTML5 development, and since nobody else seems to want to, I’m afraid it’s going to have to be me.

I hate to break it to you, but that HTML5 work you’re doing isn’t HTML5.

I’m not sure how it got started. Maybe everyone got tired of using the buzz word Web 2.0, or perhaps "Web 3.0" just didn’t seem like an exciting and new enough term, but for some reason, when developers start doing something slightly new, or even a tad edgy, they’re wrapping up their work by describing it as HTML5 development. I hate to break this to you, but while what you’re doing might be cool, it’s probably not HTML5.

You see, HTML5 is a standard. Well, it’s not really a standard yet, because the spec hasn’t been completely agreed upon. It’s like an embryo of a standard.

Sure, we know which basic tags are going to be associated with HTML5, and even some of the cool web browsers that don’t suck have implemented many of these new tags. So, if you’re using the canvas tag, or you’re using the bdi tag, then go right ahead and scream from the mountaintops that you’ve jumped on the HTML5 bandwagon. But from what I’ve seen, people are just using the term to describe something neat they’ve just learned and think is hip or cool.

For example:

• Graduating to using cascading style sheets for page layout for the first time because you’ve been doing it with tables for the last ten years isn’t HTML5 development.
• Getting rid of your Flash splash screen and replacing it with something animated in a far less annoying manner with JavaScript isn’t HTML5 development.
• Adding some neat DOJO components or using something cool from the YUI library isn’t HTML5 development.
• Changing all of your request-response cycles to use Ajax isn’t HTML5 development.
• Invoking RESTful web services from a lightweight, HTML client isn’t HTML5 development.

These things are not HTML5 development because they're not using HTML5 tags.

Sure, many of these things are cool. Maybe they’re even best practices. They might even be the wave of the future, although they’re probably more likely the wave of the present. But don’t call it HTML5 development, because if you’re not using HTML5, then you’re not doing HTML5 development.

Does ECMAScript count?

Only if you're using version 4.

So what ?

I'm sorry. I missed something.

Tell me again why I want to make my life miserable. By developing a Web Application in HTML5/PoopScript ?

I'm sorry. I missed something.

Tell me again why I want to make my life miserable. By developing a Web Application in HTML5/PoopScript ?

Feel free not too, more work for the rest of us :)

That's just the type of juvenile reponse I expected from the HMAO (Hacking My Ass Off) crowd.

I'm sorry. I missed something.

Tell me again why I want to make my life miserable by developing a Web Application in HTML5/PoopScript ?

I don't think the point of this post is necesarily to tell people you should be writing HTML5 code into your new projects. But if you're not going to use HTML5 tags, please don't label your project as an HTML5 project. It helps us all seperate the wheat from the chaff - wether we're looking for HTML5 or not.

So is HTML5 wheat or chaff?

If it works in IE, it's probably not HTML 5.