There is No Excuse for Not Learning HTML5!

So I’ve been wondering what all this talk about “we don’t have to learn HTML5 for another 10 years” is really all about, and upon finding out that it won’t be ‘finalized’ until 2022 (chuckle) my question was answered. FACT: HTML5 is ready; it’s just not finalized yet. When has this ever been an excuse to not learn a new markup?

Check out these two exemplary HTML5 sites to the left… Nice, huh? Remember that these sites are making use of other techniques, such as CSS3 and Jquery. HTML5 is just a new markup, not a bunch of scripting you need to learn, making is simple and easy. Heck, it even makes a ton more sense than it used to!

Ok, listen. There are some excuses – like not having the time (my excuse) and the place you work isn’t using HTML5 yet, users aren’t using updated browsers, etc. And there is still that pesky statistic of 60% of users around the world still using IE not being able to see all of the glory that is HTML5 and CSS3. But hey there, it sounds kind of cool so I’m learning it in the limited amount of free time I have – and, well, why not be the first at your company to know it? What harm can it do? That would be, none. No harm.

The following articles are rich with information about how to create cross-browser compatible websites using HTML5. I’ve also included a link to a session with Lee Brimelow at Adobe MAX that offers a level perspective of Flash, Flex, and HTML5 to help round out the current reality of how HTML5 fits in. Although the amount of info seems hefty, the processes are really pretty simple. Let’s not whine about having to “re-learn” HTML. That bores me, don’t whine. Just eat something healthy that gives you energy enough to make a few more clicks of your mouse, how about that