Why did HTML5 appear?

A lot of information has already been written about HTML5. Some experts consider it wonderful and, with joy, paint a bright future. Others think HTML5 doesn't fit the market. But let's try to answer the questions: why did HTML5 appear at all , what tasks did the creators set for it, and what problems should it solve? The creators of HTML5 put in the first place not browser manufacturers, not web developers, but the end user. Therefore, the tasks were set before the language in such a way that the user would benefit as much as possible.

After all, not everyone is satisfied with today's implementation of web applications. Because:

• external add-ons require installation, as a rule, they are quite “heavy”, practically cannot be indexed and are not able to work on all devices available to users without exception. As a result, we get limited availability because of which the user suffers;
• now many javascript solutions have become commonplace. And the implementation of such opportunities lies entirely with the web developer. And where there is a human factor, there is a high probability of an error and, as a result, the user suffers again.

Main Goals of HTML5

• simplify the syntax - the code will become smaller and simpler. Accordingly, many things will become much easier to do.
• implement all the necessary external additions inside the HTML language itself and simply take it to the next level. That is, HTML5 minimizes the need for additional technologies or plugins;
• accessibility for everyone - that is, HTML5 minimizes the need for additional technologies or plugins. After all, the fewer additional plugins are required, the more likely it is that the user will be able to work in full with the web application. The second component of this goal is a clean logically correct (semantic) code. This will make it possible to process HTML pages more correctly on different devices. It should become easier for search engines to parse pages because the code becomes cleaner and semantic tags like <header>, <footer>, <nav>, etc. appear instead of the commonly used <div> and <span> . And tags such as <video> and <audio> will allow you to index videos and audio recordings. As a result, search engines will be able to provide more relevant links in the search results.

What HTML5 will bring to users

• HTML code becomes lighter, which means the page will load faster;
• there are no additional plugins, which means that you do not need to install and load anything;
• more interesting and interactive sites, with fewer javascript and AJAX requests;
• less demanding applications to the power of the user's device (animations, playing video and audio using HTML5 require significantly less resources than flash);
• in search engines we will receive more relevant results for our queries;
• the birth of the first Web OS and web applications with hitherto unseen functionality.

What HTML5 will bring to web developers

It’s hard to say for sure, because very few people really use it yet. But you can try to think about the benefits:

• the code will become cleaner and more logically understandable, which means it will become easier to work with;
• some things will become really easier to do, which means that labor productivity will increase;
• projects will become more complex, and therefore more interesting;
• there will be more opportunities for creativity and self-realization for the layout designer (now flashers and programmers “take away” a lot of things);
• if the work of a layout designer becomes more difficult, his wages should also increase.

And now for the disadvantages:

• HTML5 is less strict about the syntax (for example, you can not put closing tags) and this can take us back to the nightmarish code of the early 2000s;
• the work of a layout designer can become more complex and more like the work of a programmer than just a coder;
• with the new version of the language, new bugs will appear, to combat which you will need to look for new solutions (and how good it was with HTML 4.01, where there are already many ready-made solutions for almost all problems);

In conclusion, we can conclude that HTML5 is a big step forward in the world of web development. But do not wait for him as a messiah who will come and save everyone. It is designed to solve some of the problems of a web developer, but it is not perfect. It remains to be hoped that the inclusion of full browser support for HTML5 will not drag on for many years.

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