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I just wanted to make a post about all the new things coming to the web over the next couple of years. We have Javascript 2, HTML 5 (which includes Flash-less media and animation) and WebGL. First wave implementations are already out there and ready to be used, but many commercial software developers are taking their time and "waiting it out" to see how things move before going all in. And why wouldn't they? They have share holders who demand a profit from every man-hour that the company outputs.

But for the entrepreneurial at heart, right now is a golden, golden opportunity. Browsers have already started implementing these new technologies into their browsers and standards groups already have them in a state close to their final shapes. This means that you could probably start development today on a large-scale product using these new technologies knowing that you will only have to do some mild refactoring to keep up with the evolution. Perhaps some of them may not work out, namely WebGL, but HTML 5 and JS 2 are pretty much guarantees.

Sometimes the best in their sphere are the ones who win out and gain full adoption, such as jQuery (which came rather late into the Javascript framework scene), but it is usually the first well-functioning application, API, or library in a technology's life cycle who gains the footholds needed to become #1 for years to come. For example, I will share an idea that I know I cannot do myself, but I also know could be extraordinarily successful if done right. HTML 5 has the power to almost completely dethrone Flash once it is supported equally in browsers (don't forget IE9 already supports a good deal of it now), but the raw-code approach is going to make the JS2/Canvas route completely uneconomical versus using the Flash IDE. If a developer could create an application similar to Flash Professional that allows for WYSIWYG timeline-based animation, game, and RIA development that outputs HTML5/JS, they could have a fortune on their hands. It could separate out the animation and other system engines in an included Javascript file which would simulate the encapsulation of Flash's animation system and provide for clean separation between system JS code and the user's interaction scripts.

But this, like many other HTML 5, JS2 and WebGL projects, need to be started now. If you wait until the dust settles and the technologies stabilize, the big dogs of Microsoft, Adobe, Google and others will already be on it and will be whipping out products in the blink of an eye. Early and well-done comers into these fields can gain market shares that would be difficult for even millions of dollars to overcome later, however. The ever-humble PHP was created when web development was a wild and barren wasteland during the early CGI days, and it is still the most common web development platform in the world, despite Microsoft spending millions to try to overcome it.

So get creative, and look to the future! There is so much to be excited about right now in web development and early adopters can get the worm!

Jackolantern wrote:For example, I will share an idea that I know I cannot do myself, but I also know could be extraordinarily successful if done right. HTML 5 has the power to almost completely dethrone Flash once it is supported equally in browsers (don't forget IE9 already supports a good deal of it now), but the raw-code approach is going to make the JS2/Canvas route completely uneconomical versus using the Flash IDE. If a developer could create an application similar to Flash Professional that allows for WYSIWYG timeline-based animation, game, and RIA development that outputs HTML5/JS, they could have a fortune on their hands. It could separate out the animation and other system engines in an included Javascript file which would simulate the encapsulation of Flash's animation system and provide for clean separation between system JS code and the user's interaction scripts.

This would be an interesting project to pull off it could be done...definitely might be a good time to look into a project like that since they are emerging to the world as just an infant.

Yeah, that idea makes me want to cry sometimes that I don't have the skill or the time to pull it off before there is bound to be major corporation competition (in probably 2 - 3 years or so). So many developers are excited about HTML 5, and a familiar-acting graphical/animation IDE could be just the thing to push them all into a feeding frenzy.

Did you ever look more into web sockets? That's actually the whole reason I'm using node.js now. I was trying to experiment with it, but PHP just doesn't cut it as a websocket backend.

Anyway, it's a really interesting part of HTML5 (websockets) and will probably completely replace long-polling and Comet-like techniques at some point. I'm trying to learn this stuff while I'm still somewhat ahead of the game. Later on I'm sure it'll be much easier to use, but right now is the time to learn about it, because later you'll be the person people come to with questions. I look forward to maybe writing some tutorials in the future, and hopefully building a game or two utilizing these new technologies.

Ohh, I forgot to mention WebSockets and the GeoLocation API as well!

i have definitely been dabbling in and out of webgl and HTML5

Html 5 - Things you should start to use - now.

Even as W3C told us to hold off html5 for now.. You should already start to use some of the basics.

No more scary doctypes

What you had to use in the past for example:

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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">

What you should start using right now ( Every browser accepts it )

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<!doctype html>

In fact google, twitter, and many more popular websites are already using this doctype.

Avoid the long meta tag

I'm sure you remember:

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<meta http-equiv="Content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" />

Let's make it simple now:

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<meta charset="utf-8" />

No such thing as a 'type' mess

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<script type="text/javascript"></script>
<style type="text/css"></style>
<link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="style.css" />

Can now be written as:

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<script></script>
<style></style>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="style.css" />

I'm sure there are more html5 features which are already supported by all browsers,
but these are the most important ones.

Also check out SVG if you haven't seen it before:

http://svg-wow.org/index.html#demos

I don't know why, but for some reason something creeps me out about leaving off the "text/javascript" or "text/css" type attributes lol

Yeah me too actually. And this may seem like a small change to some, but to sites that get lots of traffic, this savings of a few bytes can quickly add up. I should do a blog post on minifying.

Yeah, no type attributes, tiny doctypes, no namespaces and no metadata can really add up if you look at a site like google, amazon or even a mid-range site like gamefaqs.com. Every bit counts!