In our latest article, we shared our vision on Adobe’s hard work to embrace HTML5. Now, we would like to bring you some more resources on HTML5 versus Flash topic:
Considering the latest buzz generated by Adobe, this question can instigate interesting discussions. The topic of Flash is not new on our blog; we wrote about it in some older posts: Apple’s dismissal of Flash statement and HTML5 battle with Flash. However, many of you may be asking, has anything changed since then? Adobe has continued to take a leading role and work hard to embrace HTML5.
While HTML5 and Flash have been in the news with the launch of the iPad®, Apple has long argued that that Flash is not only unreliable and not secure, but it has low-performance, drains battery life, and does not keep up with web development progress.
However, according to Adobe, 85% of the most-visited web sites use Flash, 75% of web video is viewed using the Flash Player, 98% of enterprises rely on the Flash Player, and 70% of web games are developed in Flash. Moreover, in 2010, Flash has released version 10.1 as an answer to Apple’s HTML5 for hand held devices.
While Apple has been promoting HTML5 as an alternative to Flash for video and other content on the iOS, using performance-related rationale for not allowing the Flash runtime to be installed on iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad, Adobe has been consistently challenged to keep up:
Even with this latest news, Adobe admits that not all Flash Professional features are supported in the HTML5 format.
Many of us would like to know ultimately what direction Flash and HTML5 are going, but for the moment, it is clear that Flash is not going away anytime soon. Developers will always need choices and look for better or complementary technologies. And it isn’t about which to use specifically, but rather which works best for a particular website. And it could be Flash, Silverlight or Java.
It is not certain that HTML5 will be the answer everyone is looking for when developing a website, but it is clear that HTML5 is a state of the art web development technology. At CodeMyIMAGE, we have already embraced new technologies like HTML5 and we believe it is bringing new functionalities and directions in web development.
We noticed your increased interest for the ADA compliance topic so we thought we should provide you more resources:
The ADA was signed into law in 1990 and it prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability. According to the United States Justice Department, the ADA also applies to cyberspace and states that organizations that use the internet for communications regarding their programs, products, or services, must be prepared to support equal information access for the disabled. Actually, the concept of expanding opportunities for disabled individuals through the innovative use of technology is well-known these days. However, the question is how well does the web comply with this concept?
When users with a disability are attempting to access a website, they are entitled to access information like any other individual. However, it seems that websites in general, lack the awareness inherent in this requirement to design and develop in order to meet the needs of the disabled. The problem is not whether the users are simply provided access, but rather to what extent the communication is indeed delivered as effectively as it is to the general public.
Once on the web, users with disabilities may encounter certain obstacles, not being able to receive or fully understand the information provided by websites. How does your website accommodate these users? Your web development efforts can be enhanced to reach out to the disabled users by:
Having followed these tips, how does one further determine if a website is accessible to disabled surfers? One of the easiest ways is to analyze it with an accessibility validator such as the free web-based tool developed by the Center for Adapted Technology (CAST).
At CodeMyIMAGE, we believe that website content must be easy and accessible to anyone, so that users with various types of disabilities should be accommodated in the world of the web. Our experience in this area includes the development of ADA compliant websites, and we strongly encourage that more private and public companies and NGO’s start to give greater importance to supporting equal information access.
In our latest article, we shared some tips for user friendly websites. Now, we would like to bring you some more resources from industry specialists discussing the usability matter:
