HTML5 in Action

Foreword

Explaining what HTML5 is can be a very daunting task. I’ve been doing this since its inception, and I’m still amazed by how many myths abound and how much confusion there is on the topic. With HTML5, we rebooted web development. The world of HTML4 and the nonstarter XHTML stranded those who wanted to use the web as a platform for applications. HTML4 was meant for linked documents, and XHTML was far too strict for its own good and lacked real support in browsers.

HTML5 started with a clean slate. We analyzed what was used on the web and added a lot of features we didn’t have before, like Canvas for creating visuals on the fly or accessing images and videos on a pixel level, native audio and video without the need for plug-ins, and forms ...