HTML5 is brand new. Indeed, it isn’t even completely finished yet. And if you listen to some ornery pundits, they’ll tell you that HTML5 won’t be ready for ten years or more! Why, then, would anyone think that now’s the time for a book called Pro HTML5 Programming? That’s easy. Because for anyone who’s looking for an extra edge to make your web application stand above the rest, the time for HTML5 is right now. The authors of this book have been working with, developing, and teaching HTML5 technologies for more than two years now and can claim with certainty that adoption of the new standards is accelerating at dizzying speeds. Even over the course of writing this book, we’ve been forced to continually update chapters and reevaluate our assumptions about what is ready to use. Most users don’t really understand the power that’s available in the browsers they are now using. Yes, they might notice some minor interface enhancement after their favorite browser has automatically updated. But they might have no idea that this new browser version just introduced a free-form drawing canvas or real-time network communication, or any number of other potential upgrades. With this book, we aim to help you unlock the power HTML5.
