4 important things to know for HTML5 development

HTML5 development continues to experience more widespread usage, but it's not without its growing pains. The budding programming language will need a long climb to displace its fully entrenched HTML4 predecessor, especially as its star waned somewhat during a particularly harsh hype cycle. However, the advantages of HTML5 are fairly clear, with a variety of extraneous and extenuating factors holding back its growth. Here are four things that programmers considering HTML5 development for their app and program needs should know:

1. It's cost-effective: HTML5 development is a great way to gain access to premium app creation potential for pennies on the dollar. According to TabTimes contributor Doug Drinkwater, native app development on the iOS or Android operating systems can run enterprises anywhere from $50,000 to $250,000. HTML5 is more cost-effective for both individual and collective development. Additionally, HTML5 can create substantial savings in related expenditures, especially in large enterprises. The different tools, workflow and checklist applications, and software can differ significantly from user to user. This is especially true in bring-your-own-device environments, in which the price of universal interoperability could be quite high.

2. Browsers could be holding it back: HTML5 development is going up against native mobile app creation, which is generating more disconnect in overall app development and making it more difficult for HTML5 to fulfill its potential as a one-stop-shop for compatible app development, enterprise app strategist Michael King recently told InfoWorld. HTML5 does not offer the same level of access and functionality to native app features.

   "The promise of HTML5 is you write once, run everywhere and this is not happening because of the divergence of browser features," King stated.

   Creating native apps might be a better decision for one company, but it creates an environment in which cross-platform compatibility is compromised by the decision to forego the language that would make app development more accessible for all. In the meantime, programmers looking to derive the highest ROI from HTML5 development can look to report designer providers that offer the tools and framework systems for optimal development and integration.

3. It's got mobile covered: Optimizing mobile device use is one of the main objectives of app development in today's enterprise. So why not learn from others' success? According to Internet Retailer, 46 percent of the top 500 retailers use HTML5 on the smartphone or tablet versions of their sites. The look and feel that HTML5 can offer establishes it as the premier Web browser programming interface for optimal configuration potential.

4. It might only be the tip of the iceberg: One of the chief reasons that HTML5 development should not be discounted is that it has yet to even reach its full potential, according to Drinkwater. Mobile app development, for example, is still a young process, even if its explosion makes it feel like it's been around forever. There are simply some kinks that still need to be worked out, and the introduction of tools such as jQuery Mobile can help developers achieve more. Vendors that have identified this need provide solutions for compatibility between HTML5 and JavaScript.

   "Add into the mix that the final spec of HTML5 isn't likely to be finalized by the Worldwide Web Consortium until 2014 and you can see that improvement is still a very real possibility," Drinkwater wrote.