I’m excited with the current web client libraries like jQuery, and future SVG client libraries (maybe svgweb?) as well as future HTML5 client libraries. I hope there can be powerful tools like Flash that output SVG or HTML5.

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Smallbama

http://www.kasskooye.net

Too much time..

On area HTML and related web technologies do not address well is scalable media suited for cellphones, PDAs, Gameboys, etc. There’s WML/WAP technologies, but these are different than HTML, and require server side application to tailor custom content or down-render HTML content to WML (e.g. in-house tools or commercial solutions like OpenWave)

Flash and Silverlight others (JavaFX) and address that market, and thus may be contenders for the next mobile market standard. Without tight integration of technologies (which would need SVG for scalable graphics and animation), I don’t see how current web solutions will survive.

Ultimately though, it depends on the toolkits. Flash offers a solution to animators (artists types), and Silverlight has solutions for web authors, animators, and developers. JavaFX system looks promising, but does not seem as flexible + intuitive as Flash Studio or Microsoft offerings.

I really like your article, but I think there are some items perhaps not fully in line with perspective on things.

W3C vs WHATWG (HTML5)…

The WHATWG was born not out problems with the timetables, but rather some serious contention in W3Cs XHTML2 standard. As far as I recall, XHTML2 required 5-7 different mark-up languages, broke prior standards, and ignored natural evolution of technologies, like JavaScript, in favor of XML substitute. Implementers of web technologies (Apple, Opera, Mozilla) just said “Hell No” essentially to XHTML2.

While I think XML and XML based languages are a blessing compared to prior closed technologies, some XML standards like XHTML2 were questionable IMHO. It seemed to me that W3C was focused on proving theories without any practical connection to implementing the technologies or market realities. As another disconnect example, W3C’s XSD was quite grotesquely complex as well, and 3rd parties made things like RELAX-NG as simple alternatives.

AJAX a Kludge?

I really doubt that AJAX is a kludge, especially because there are many popular toolkits out there, and Microsoft fully supports it, and is going head-to-head with their Volta for .NET, as opposed to Google’s GWT for Java. Many Web 2.0 sites like World of Warcraft Armory, Digg and Flickr support related technologies (i.e. XML and JSON streams, which are used with AJAX clients).

To say a toolkit is needed to make AJAX easier is misrepresentation and maybe misunderstanding of the technology. Flash and Silverlight use toolkits, and future versions of Silverlight even uses one of these AJAX toolkits (jQuery I think it is).

Lastly, AJAX is not really much of a technology, but rather a technique, and its ideas are incorporated into Silverlight, and can be incorporated into Flash as well (possibly with technologies like Flex or OpenLaszlo).

What scripting language do you think Flash and Silverlight use? Yeah, that’s JavaScript, based on ECMA standard. And consequently, Adobe and Mozilla are collaborating on the next JavaScript (ActionScript) engine that will be used for Flash, Acrobat, and Firefox as well as other technologies.

Anyways treat Microsoft like Microsoft treats everything else add another layer for Microsoft clients to conform to standards. Non Microsoft browsers will always be quicker. Rather then coding a webpage for 2 DOM’s IE and W3C use something like IE7 , dojo, etc. javascript library.

Or better yet make a nice grey page that says Download Firefox 3.

The reality it that Microsoft is a member of the W3C and have done everything they possibly can to slow W3C progress to a crawl. The perfect example is Microsoft’s refusal to continue innovating with their browser and their inability to simply implement the fundamental standards of which they were a party to developing with the W3C.

First Microsoft illegally killed the browser market and monopolised it until Mozilla found a revenue model (Search preferences) and development style (FOSS) to hit back.

Secondly (and there is some timeline crossover) Microsoft sat on it’s hairy behemoth arse and refused to correct even the smallest flaws in the standards compliance of IE6.

The W3C is slow because Microsoft and others put corporate interests above those of the open web itself.

This is simple divide and conquer tactics and if we don’t recognise this, we will not move forward.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divide_and_rule