HTML5 for the Enterprise
Posted by HTML5, the final frontier. This article describes the challenges and benefits of HTML5 across the enterprise. HTML5’s five-year year mission: to explore strange new devices, to seek out ubiquity across all platforms, and to boldly go where no other technology has gone before.
HTML5 is not just a standard, it is a revolution. More popular than the Beatles and Elvis combined, it is invading the vernacular of every technologist on the planet and becoming a global strategy for software companies like Dell, Salesforce, IBM, Adobe and Microsoft. We are in the midst of a technology evolution, inspired by the plethora of devices and platforms available at your local Best Buy, and furthered by the core needs of your enterprise.
While recent developments around Flex/AIR and Silverlight (see our blog post: Fall of the Plug-in) have forced the hand of many companies to consider HTML5 as a viable technology for enterprise development, we see this as simply a catalyst of the revolution. There is an undeniable momentum behind HTML5 adoption and development across all platforms; but perhaps the most important and complex shift is in the enterprise space. Enterprise development focus is changing. While others players like “.NET” and “Flex/AIR” currently dominate the market, we expect HTML5 to continue to gain momentum and achieve world domination within the next two years.
What's So Good About HTML5?
In general, HTML5 addresses several major issues of interest to business application developers, the most outstanding being cross platform unity and the ability to re-use features across mobile devices and tablets. Running either in the browser or packaged as a mobile application, HTML5 is quickly becoming the platform of choice because it is accepted by every device that can display a pixel. And with countless device types on the market today, you can see why HTML5 should be playing a major role in your enterprise technology roadmap.
HTML5 offers:
- the most re-use across the most platforms and devices
- the most flexible deployment model, via any browser or wrapped in a mobile/device application
- the most availability, including new offline capabilities afforded by local storage and the disconnected mode
- the most control, since the browser model allows you to update content and functionality without waiting for the app store approval process
HTML5 Compatibility?
Now that HTML5 has captured the attention of every developer with a pulse, we are regularly engaging with organizations to develop an enterprise HTML5 Strategy. One of the initial concerns we always face is support & compatibility. This story has a much better ending than it did even just one year ago. For example, try this HTML5 Test to see how your current browser does with HTML5. Around mid-2010, this was a real competition, as evident in my presentation on the topic at FITC Toronto, but today there are only minor discrepancies across browsers. With a perfect score being 300, the lowest score of any browser on my desktop today is Safari at 293; with many scoring a multitude of “bonus” points. Although this is in no way a perfect measurement for HTML5 compatibility, IE 9 is trailing by a mile with a score of 141 but IE 10 does well at 300. These numbers are sure to change for the better, with every release of every browser on every platform. In fact, it looks like Opera 12, with a score of 346, will leapfrog everyone very soon. Previously stalled, browser competition is alive and well again and all the players converging on a common target.
Take a Seat, You’re Going To Be Here Awhile
Not only will you find HTML5 in your desktop browser, but also phones, tablets, automobiles, home appliances, and just about any other hardware that needs a GUI. And while the browser is probably the most popular tool for viewing HTML5 content, that’s not the only place you’ll find it—HTML apps can be packaged as native desktop, mobile or tablet applications that can be used with or without a connection to the web. These applications can also take advantage of native device features like cameras, phones, accelerometers, and more.
HTML5 applications are also capable of displaying a lot more than forms and static text, and can be designed to look and feel like native applications. Real time, complex data visualization is available with HTML5 charting and data grids. Form input is faster and smarter with broader range of advanced input types featuring autocomplete and validation. File drag and drop makes adding files for upload quicker. HTML5 applications can store data locally. They can also stream real-time data, such as chat/messenger applications and video.
Furthermore, HTML5 applications can provide an “offline mode” so that they are still available and usable even without an Internet connection. The web application is cached in the browser and its data stored locally. When a connection becomes available again, the application syncs offline changes back to the server. Companies like the Financial Times and Vudu are already utilizing this practical functionality, offering great experiences in both online and offline modes. These capabilities are especially applicable across the enterprise in sales force automation, CRM and retail applications.
Significant innovation has already been made in areas like tooling, capabilities, debugging, and especially frameworks. A plethora of JavaScript libraries and frameworks has made development faster and many are based on common standards and design patterns. Organizations can standardize on frameworks like jQuery, Dojo, Google GWT, Sencha, Knockout, etc. Many of these tools are free, have large support communities, and don’t require your organization to maintain them. If you need a new data grid, chart, or mapping component, one is probably already available; your development team doesn’t need to spend time writing a custom implementation. This even includes frameworks that promote and support enterprise class MVC or MVVM architectural design patterns and tools to assist with QA and Testing. There is a thriving marketplace of open-source and commercial components and micro-frameworks available to leverage in your applications.
(See my blog posts on HTML5 Debugging, HTML5 Frameworks, and Mobile HTML5 for details and recommendations in these areas.)
What’s the Catch?
Despite its many enhancements, HTML5 is still just the same toolbox with more tools. The importance of a good enterprise architecture plan is still as critical as ever. There are considerations around applying conventions and standards appropriately to realize the intended experience, balanced against the software and hardware limitations of the target deployment platforms. Selecting the right JavaScript and MVC/MVVM frameworks can also be a daunting task. It’s great to have so many choices, but determining the best tools for the job can be a challenge.
So Now What?
At this stage of the game, across the enterprise, the benefits of HTML5 applications far outweigh the limitations. The future of the browser plug-in has never been more uncertain while the velocity of HTML5 adoption across every capable viewing device is staggering.
We would however be remiss if we didn’t acknowledge the reality that HTML5 cannot accomplish everything that other current enterprise tools can offer. For these use cases it is important to consider a hybrid model with a clear technology roadmap for maintenance, future migration and replacement. While a hybrid model may include native processes and/or a mixture of technology to satisfy your enterprise application requirements, it is important to recognize the long-term benefits associated with an HTML5 strategy.
Developing an HTML5 support strategy is crucial for enterprises right now. HTML5 tooling, at least in the near term, will continue to evolve rapidly, but is already more than adequate to please enterprise IT departments.
The leading tool vendors in this space have already attracted a significant enterprise following. Take a look at Sencha, an HTML5 tools vendor with an impressive customer list and a loyal development community. The same holds true for Appcelerator and PhoneGap. Expect the number of mobile developers using HTML5 to grow quickly. It's no surprise that HTML5 is predicted to dominate enterprise mobility by 2013. In short, the immediate future for enterprise IT will have a heavy dose of HTML5 with a mix of hybrid technology where required.
Debugging tools, frameworks, mobile considerations, and architecture are just some of the initial decisions that need to be addressed as you forge your enterprise HTML5 standards. Over the next few blog posts we’ll take a look at the landscape of these critical areas.
HTML5 for the Enterprise, Part 2: HTML5 Debugging
HTML5 for the Enterprise, Part 3: HTML5 Frameworks
HTML5 for the Enterprise, Part 4: Mobile HTML5
(Contributing authors: John Yanarella, Senior Technical Architect, and Dustin Butler, Senior Technical Architect)
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Dan Carter
12.01.11 at 5:54 AM
A pretty well written sales pitch. You almost had me believing HTML5 is ready for large Enterprise apps. Almost…