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Internet Explorer 9 To Be HTML5 Compatible – Microsoft Joining The Anti-Flash Movement?
Rumors are flying that the forthcoming version of Internet Explorer, the ninth incarnation, will include strong support of HTML5.
This would be a dramatic change from Internet Explorer 8, which is not known for its HTML5 compliance for a reason. Thar reason? It has nearly none. This is hardly surprising, Microsoft browsers have for time immemorial lagged behind the market on adoption of the current standards of the internet.
Even worse, given the pervasive use of Internet Explorer 6 (a browser so old it does not support tabbed browsing), Internet Explorer users are often stuck in 2001, when the browser came out. Microsoft seems to be out to finally catch up with the rest of the world’s browsers, and perhaps run past them in certain areas.
At the most recent Professional Developers Conference (PDC09, which I attended), Microsoft discussed Internet Explorer 9 touting their goals to build a modern browser that passed the Acid3 test, and of course, worked with HTML5.
According to webmonkey, Microsoft is likely to demonstrate some Internet Explorer 9 goodies at the upcoming MIX10 event. If that happens, we will finally get a good look into the future of the browser that the world users, for better or for worse.
There are other implications. By extending a hand to HTML5 Microsoft will move ahead adoption of the standard in a large way. The better HTML5 does, the worse Flash does, given their tendancy to step on each other’s toes at every turn. What does this mean? Microsoft by boosting HTML5 will be helping Apple and their proxy war with the iPad and iPhone to combat Flash across the internet.
By upgrading Internet Explorer 9 to use HTML5, Microsoft is going to help Apple sell iPads. Somehow I bet that Ballmer would not like that. In other news, contented chuckles were heard from One, Infinite Loop.
- Update -
Given the epic comments that this post has received, which I have taken the time to read, I thought a short add-on was in order. To the people being mean, you are taking this to far. Given that you missed the point, I’ll do it again:
Apple has a large force on the future of technology. They are blocking flash from tens of millions of devices over the next few years. HTML5 can be used to replace certain areas of Flash functionality, especially those relating to video play. Apple will not kill Flash. Microsoft is trying to join the rest of internet (years to late), in meeting internet standards. Given that the standards that Microsoft is now planning on meeting are the same that Apple is promoting against Flash (Flash performance on OS X is utter shit, we all know this), so we have two of the most important companies in the world promoting standards that impinge on areas of Flash.
Sure, my headline is a little catchy, but it has two parts and two facts: IE9 will be HTML5 compatible, and that action will help promote the web-wide acceptance of HTML5 which will in certain areas compete with Flash, hurting Flash in the market somewhat.
There you have it. Flame on, I’m sure someone cares.
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Discussion - 77 Comments/Pingbacks RSS feed for comments on this post
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Internet Explorer 9 To Be HTML5 Compatible
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Alex, it is speculation that Apple products will be without Flash forever. Jobs has said that the reason why Flash won't be on the iPad is because of performance. If these performance issues are rectified – and Adobe thinks it has already done this with 10.1 and convinced every other smarthphone manufacturer that it has too – then where does Jobs' argument stand then? If he does decide to add Flash to the iPad in such a case, no-one could say he's contradicting himself as it would be entirely consistent with his reasoning.
I am glad MS is at least now giving importance to the new web technologies.
I think Adobe, as a company, comply and promotes web standards much more than Microsoft… this fact makes your article completely absurd, or am I missing something?
I mean, Dreamweaver CS5 will support HTML canvas (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bP98Tfc4WWg), and most definitely also the <video> tag… does this means that Adobe is also anti-Flash?
This assumes people will be upgrading to IE9. Most of the affected parties by this, the corporations who don't allow users to install their own browsers, will still be standardized on old versions of IE. Heck, I was doing some Flex development work for a large bank, and it was only in the past year that they decided to move up to IE7 from IE6, even though IE8 was out and had been for some time. Many organizations, as the author mentioned, are still stuck on IE6. IF they won't update IE6 to IE7 or IE8, why would they update to IE9?
HTML 5 is still a working draft, why does everyone talks so much about it. No one knows what the final spec will be so how do you want them to be fully compliant with the spec?
YEAH!
I don’t know where they got the idea that IE9 would pass the Acid3 test. Microsoft isn’t going after Acid3 performance. In fact, the writers on the IEBlog have explicitly stated that they aren’t concerned with how IE9 performs since it doesn’t really test browser functionality.
Acid3 only tests technology and standards that were around before 2004. A good browser can implement the entire HTML5 specification and still get a failing Acid3 score. So what does that even have to do with IE9’s HTML5 compatibility or this so called “anti-flash” movement?
I really think that corporate “stuck on IE6” scenario is going to fade when Google search stops working for those companies.
Also, those people stuck on IE6 really aren’t much of a concern for MOST websites. If your site has a lot of IE6 traffic it’s probably because you have a lot of people browsing your site at work, you cater to a “technology shy” audience or developing nations. Otherwise, I’ve only seen IE6 traffic percentages hovering around 3% to 4% and most of them are from Google searches (which soon won’t support IE6).
I don’t know where, but I remember reading “OGG Theora” in a post about IE9. I wish I could find the link for you.
It's not about viruses, it's About Money!
Apples has it's walls up around it's App Store which it makes a shit ton of money from. If flash was allowed to run on the Iphone/Ipad than people could just make new apps in flash and Apple would not make any money from those.
Yes you can make web apps in Flash with ECMAScript (AS3). Flash can use the GPS function and would run at a high enough level to be able to use a lot of the hardware on the phone.
Apple knows this and is scared of it.
Css3 as well? Its good news that it is leaning away from flash.
well said sir.
Anyone who thinks that apple is not letting flash for security reasons or performance reasons…. is simply RETARDED
Funny how flash is secure enouph to run on every PC, Mac and handheld EXCEPT the magicly over hyped i-phone/i-pod…
Flash isn't going anywhere… love it or hate it you cant stop the internet baby!
And I think you're over thinking Microsoft's motivation. I don't think its to kill Flash. That's Silverlight's job.
Microsoft may be many things, but when it comes to business sense they aren't foolish. Assuming internet statistics are correct, IE is rapidly losing users. I know my sister who used IE for ages recently switched to Google Chrome. And she certainly isn't tech savvy when it comes to things. Yet even she realized there was a superior browser out there.
With sites like Google Docs dropping support for IE6, Microsoft not supporting HTML 5 would give them even more incentive not to recommend any versions of IE but simply recommend other products. Microsoft likes to dominate the market. They may not lose their market, but it seems they realize supporting the standards this time around isn't a convenience but rather a requirement to maintain even a bit of market share.
“(Flash performance on OS X is utter shit, we all know this)” – this might improve though: http://www.kaourantin.net/2010/02/core-animatio...
I don't see why Flash and HTML5 can live together side by side, learn from each other, etc.
I don't believe in one single perfect option. Each option has it's strengths and weaknesses, and having the options in the first place is a pretty important thing.
It's like saying macs machines and osx are the best thing out there and everything else is crap, which I think it's slightly wrong. Everything is crap! There is no perfect computer, but there are OPTIONS. I don't see the savvy computer engineer running in haste to buy a mac, he/she needs a DIFFERENT tool for DIFFERENT tasks. I don't see a rich person consuming media or tiping a document every now and then impatiently waiting for a linux kernel.
I don't see what's the point of all this 'noise' …who gains what ? what's all this about ?
Wow thats a great news. This gonna work it.