W3C cautions HTML5 lacks interoperability, not ready for production
In an effort to slow the already glacial pace of the iOS-friendly HTML5 standard, the W3C is telling developers to hold off on deploying the technology in their web sites due to lack of interoperability in certain areas.
"The problem we're facing right now is there is already a lot of excitement for HTML5, but it's a little too early to deploy it because we're running into interoperability issues," including differences between video on devices, said the official, Philippe Le Hegaret, W3C interaction domain leader. He is responsible for specifications like HTML and SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics).
For example, Apple's Safari supports only H.264, Firefox only OGG Theora and Google's V8, and Google supports everything. (Internet Explorer 9, currently in beta, will bring its own unique set of support as well).
Typically the way things have moved at all in the browser space is innovation and implementation by each individual bowser maker, then standards have followed as web developers have built sites and usage has demanded it.
Apple, Google, probably Microsoft won't slow down with HTML5, so no worries there, but it's possible they'll have to drag the W3C forward with them, kicking and screaming as they do.
iPhone, iPad, and other mobile devices won't be waiting for them.
[Infoworld, Thanks Antony for sending this in]
Editor-in-Chief of iMore, Executive Producer at Mobile Nations, co-host of Iterate and ZEN and TECH, cook, grappler, photon wrangler.
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its not difficult at all to host all 4 codecs for the various browsers, my site (which is written entirely in HTML5) has videos embedded in it and each video has all 4 codes available so it plays without issue no matter which device or browser you are using.
the videos dont take up much space and its pretty easy and quick to encode in all 4. obviously it will be nice once (if) the issues are resolved and you only need one codec but in the meantime it is pretty easy to ensure your videos work in all browsers.
This is the reason IE6 lived for so long... W3C needs to evaluate and publish these kinds of improvements much faster.
man i know im gonna sound like such a noobie but HTML5 that i know has something to do with videos?but whats W3C AND interoperability?? Again sorry, but im learning slowly
@Michael Reynaga
It's not difficult but it is excessive. Having to keep a copy of each video in each codec takes up extra space, especially if you have a lot of videos and/or longer videos. If I had to store multiple copies of the same video I'd rather it be different levels of resolution and bit rate rather then completely different codecs.
I hope that HTML5 is the future. I really dislike Flash and all that other crap. HTML5 is it!
I think this is a shame, because the article seems to be bundling one small part of the HTML 5 spec (the tag) and extrapolating . There are large parts for the spec which all vendors agree on.
HTML 5 is not just about video. Nor is it anything to do with CSS 3, which is a seperate spec.
It's not just this article, when Apple marketing talk about HTML 5 they seem to be throwing HTML 5, CSS 3, Javascript and H.264 video all together under one umbrella.
I can't edit, so I'll add the correct version here. Amendments are surrounded by **.
I think this is a shame, because the article seems to be bundling one small but contentious part of the HTML 5 spec (the video tag) and extrapolating *it to the whole specification". There are large parts for the spec which all vendors agree on. HTML 5 is not just about video. Nor is it anything to do with CSS 3, which is a seperate spec. It’s not just this article, when Apple marketing talk about HTML 5 they seem to be throwing HTML 5, CSS 3, Javascript and H.264 video all together under one umbrella.
On the plus side, the W3C published candidate recommendation 3, so it may be safe to use Ajax by late 2011.
Should have read candidate recommendation 3 for XMLHttpRequest - and yet another snarky comment dies from poor delivery.
What the hell does HTML have to do with a video codec? I'm so confused. They are separate things.
@(Copy of) Dev
it's ok, most of us fill in the missing bits to complete your humour
Well, I think the big thing is that he mentions the API is still going to change as the HTML5 spec changes. As of September, the W3C reported that they still have 200 bugs and 25 major issues to work out of the current HTML5 spec. When this happens and when browsers update their HTML5 API, it will break existing HTML5 sites. Then HTML5 sites will have to have multiple versions of their content, those for older browsers that were based off the earlier draft of HTML5 and another for versions based on the later update of the spec.
@Erik, right totally agree it is a bit excessive, but shorter clips dont take up much space at all in OGV, MP4 or flash. I am just saying that interoperability is NOT a reason to not implement HTML5. for the time being you just have to put in a little more work to make sure it plays fine on every browser. of course you could also upload to youtube and then embed that in the page and that works fine on ALL browsers and devices.