HTML5: To Code or Not To Code?

With the advent of the fifth version of the hypertext markup language, or HTML5, many developers are wondering whether to code web pages and web applications that support the newest language.

The argument is that since the majority of Web users surf the Web with a non-HTML5 supportive browser – Internet Explorer 6, 7, and 8 – why should developers waste their time coding something no one will experience?

To me, this argument, although I can see where coders are coming from, is extremely short-term thinking, and it seems that if developers choose to not support HTML5, they are no better than Microsoft. Succumbing to an entity that essentially controls the population (right now, anyway) is no way to defeat the monster.

Statistics are showing that Internet Explorer users are dropping like flies. According to Statcounter, a website that tracks global browser use statistics, (http://gs.statcounter.com/), in December 2009, IE users represented 56.57% of the market share. In November 2010, IE only represented 48.16%. That is an almost 10 percentage point drop in browser share in one year. If this percentage decrease holds steady, IE use will likely be depleted within the next decade.

But don’t count Microsoft out. The software giant has noted that the newest version of Internet Explorer, IE 9, will support HTML5 and all of its glory.

The W3C, the governing body that oversees the web, confirmed Microsoft’s promise by testing the IE 9 browser using multiple HTML5 features and comparing it to such HTML5 advocates as Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Opera. The results of the test, surprisingly, placed IE 9 on top of the podium, followed by Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and Safari, respectively.

But Wired Magazine seems to believe that the results are too good to be true.

Wired recently reported that the W3C only tested specific elements of HTML5 – attributes, audio, video, Canvas, getElementsByClassName, foreigncontent and XHTML5 – and ignored other features.

To back up its claim, Wired tested IE 9 using an informal HTML5 test which examines multiple HTML5 elements, and ranks them on a 300 point scale. The results indicated that IE9 scored a measly 90 out of 300, while Chrome topped the leader board with 231. Firefox 4 came in second with 217, and Safari 5 in third with 208.

But don’t stake Wired’s word for it. Perform your own tests and make your own conclusions. Try out IE9 (microsoft.com/ie9) and test your favorite browser using the HTML5 test (html5test.com).