There has been so much controversy around HTML5 in the app development industry; rising potential fragmentation when it comes to web standards among other concerns. Despite the controversy adoption of HTML5 by developers in app development has not slowed down, it continues to grow.
HTML5 Adoption for App Development
Why HTML5?
When developing a native app for either Android or iOS, you would have to learn the programmers for both platforms. However with HTML5, because you already understand the language, it’s pretty much easier and becomes faster to develop an app and then tweak it slightly for the app stores. This is the top reason among developers who are using it. The cost to building an app also decrease with HTML5, which is pulling in a lot of developers as costs are one of the things that irks developers. But is this the right time to be using it or should we be waiting a bit longer?
Website Fragmentation
Even though it’s easier and faster to develop an app using HTML5, there’s more time spent on ensuring that it actually works in each browser correctly from Internet Explorer, Chrome, Safari to Firefox. One of the things that developers can easily lose users on is slowness which is what happens with most website based apps. How many developers are willing to lose users because they used HTML5 and their end product is an app that’s really slow? Perhaps what Todd Anglin and team is a bit more pressure on addressing this and sorting it out first.
Development Ecosystem
According to developers who have already adopted HTML5, there are still other major concerns to be addressed. These range from the need for better debugging support, access to latest native APIs to a better development environment. All these are elements that contribute to the success of every app. These need to be addressed if HTML5 is looking to pulling all developers from creating apps on other platforms and only use them.
Whilst others might say it’s too early to be adopting HTML5, I personally think that the app industry is a very unpredictable one and if you can take a risk to create an app then why not use what seems to be working for others. This is not about reinventing the wheel but changing slightly what has already been done before. However, should the risk of using HTML5 not work, oh well, you can always go back to native apps platforms provided you have managed to weather the financial storm that comes with an app failing in the beginning.
HTML5 is common but can Anglin and team stop focusing on the positives around it and actually start addressing the developers major concerns?