Comments on: Your questions answered #1 http://html5doctor.com/your-questions-answered-1/ helping you implement HTML5 today Tue, 22 May 2012 11:38:25 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: Remy Sharp http://html5doctor.com/your-questions-answered-1/#comment-433 Remy Sharp Fri, 31 Jul 2009 10:00:28 +0000 http://html5doctor.com/?p=390#comment-433 @Girish - no doubt you got the reply via email, but we felt it would be useful to share this on HTML 5 Doctor too: Technically it <em>should</em> be possible. Certainly the HTML 5 offline applications API (via the manifest) gives you all that ability to create a client side app and it run locally without a web connection. However, the browser is the problem. Prism might be a good way to deploy this as a standalone app, but I don't know if Prism is running the latest Gecko engine (or whether that comes with the JS engine, etc) - and even if it does - Firefox 3.5 currently has a pretty severe bug with the offline applications: it doesn't work! I have logged the bug with Mozilla and I know they're working (in fact, I believe they've fixed it and are now testing). The alternative is to use Fluid (a Webkit based app) - but again, that's only if they have updated to the latest Webkit and thus including the offline applications API (that said, quickly looking at the Fluid site, their in-progress version may have the latest Webkit). Regarding launch from start up scripts - you could achieve this though the custom scheme handlers (but this is just Firefox IIRC): http://www.whatwg.org/specs/web-apps/current-work/multipage/browsers.html#custom-handlers Equally, there may be an API that you could exploit via the standalone browser, either Prism or Fluid. I realise this reply might be a little vague, but the technology is coming together! @Girish – no doubt you got the reply via email, but we felt it would be useful to share this on HTML 5 Doctor too:

Technically it should be possible. Certainly the HTML 5 offline applications API (via the manifest) gives you all that ability to create a client side app and it run locally without a web connection.

However, the browser is the problem. Prism might be a good way to deploy this as a standalone app, but I don’t know if Prism is running the latest Gecko engine (or whether that comes with the JS engine, etc) – and even if it does – Firefox 3.5 currently has a pretty severe bug with the offline applications: it doesn’t work!

I have logged the bug with Mozilla and I know they’re working (in fact, I believe they’ve fixed it and are now testing).

The alternative is to use Fluid (a Webkit based app) – but again, that’s only if they have updated to the latest Webkit and thus including the offline applications API (that said, quickly looking at the Fluid site, their in-progress version may have the latest Webkit).

Regarding launch from start up scripts – you could achieve this though the custom scheme handlers (but this is just Firefox IIRC): http://www.whatwg.org/specs/web-apps/current-work/multipage/browsers.html#custom-handlers

Equally, there may be an API that you could exploit via the standalone browser, either Prism or Fluid.

I realise this reply might be a little vague, but the technology is coming together!

]]> By: Girish http://html5doctor.com/your-questions-answered-1/#comment-393 Girish Wed, 29 Jul 2009 14:56:17 +0000 http://html5doctor.com/?p=390#comment-393 Is it possible to create a complete client side application using HTML 5 (it will embed chat clients, stock ticker) + JavaScript, and then bundle is with underlining Firefox 3.5 engine, so that user can install it as a desktop app on Linux, and then it runs in its own window using firefox 3.5 engine. The app will store everything in local storage - like url, usernames etc, and will not interact with any local server. It would pure HTML5 + JavaScript based client web app which would be packaged, and can be installed or launched from startup scripts. Or instead of using firefox 3.5 engine, we can use Mozilla Prism to convert it to web app, and then bundle it, is it possible? Is it possible to create a complete client side application using HTML 5 (it will embed chat clients, stock ticker) + JavaScript, and then bundle is with underlining Firefox 3.5 engine, so that user can install it as a desktop app on Linux, and then it runs in its own window using firefox 3.5 engine. The app will store everything in local storage – like url, usernames etc, and will not interact with any local server.

It would pure HTML5 + JavaScript based client web app which would be packaged, and can be installed or launched from startup scripts.

Or instead of using firefox 3.5 engine, we can use Mozilla Prism to convert it to web app, and then bundle it, is it possible?

]]> By: Rich Clark http://html5doctor.com/your-questions-answered-1/#comment-207 Rich Clark Thu, 16 Jul 2009 15:36:54 +0000 http://html5doctor.com/?p=390#comment-207 Oli, you're absolutely spot on when you say that HTML 5 is a sliding scale. We have a few articles coming up that will cover the complete basics of swapping to HTML 5. Your cheatsheet has definately helped the adoption of HTML 5 semantic naming too. Oli, you’re absolutely spot on when you say that HTML 5 is a sliding scale. We have a few articles coming up that will cover the complete basics of swapping to HTML 5.

Your cheatsheet has definately helped the adoption of HTML 5 semantic naming too.

]]> By: oli http://html5doctor.com/your-questions-answered-1/#comment-175 oli Tue, 14 Jul 2009 13:46:44 +0000 http://html5doctor.com/?p=390#comment-175 Regarding converting HTML4/XHTML1 to HTML5, I think a lot of the benefit in moving to HTML5 is a richer set of semantics. This means if you’re converting standard HTML4/XHTML1 you’ll get the most value out of rethinking everything, which as Richard states makes automatic conversion impossible. However using HTML5 is a sliding scale (not all or nothing), and we don’t have to go ‘all the way’ to get benefits :) Because HTML5 is so backwards compatible often just a change of Doctype will get you most of the way to a valid HTML5 document with your current code. While you won’t get the semantic benefits of rethinking everything, you can then eg use the improved HTML5 validators with only a small time investment. If you decide to use the HTML5 doctype but not use the new structural elements for the time being (eg due to worries about IE without JS turned on), or have to use HTML4/XHTML1 for the moment, I’d recommend the <div class="html5-element-name"> approach. If you’re consistent you’d be able to do some of the conversion (class names to opening elements) via regex. Richard has linked to a cheatsheet I wrote above (thanks!), but if you’d like more info (ie this comment as an article ;-) I just wrote <a href="http://boblet.tumblr.com/post/141239118/html5-structure4" rel="nofollow">HTML5 structure—HTML4 and XHTML1 to HTML5</a>, which might help… \me wonders what formatting is supported in comments… here’s hoping Regarding converting HTML4/XHTML1 to HTML5, I think a lot of the benefit in moving to HTML5 is a richer set of semantics. This means if you’re converting standard HTML4/XHTML1 you’ll get the most value out of rethinking everything, which as Richard states makes automatic conversion impossible. However using HTML5 is a sliding scale (not all or nothing), and we don’t have to go ‘all the way’ to get benefits :) Because HTML5 is so backwards compatible often just a change of Doctype will get you most of the way to a valid HTML5 document with your current code. While you won’t get the semantic benefits of rethinking everything, you can then eg use the improved HTML5 validators with only a small time investment.

If you decide to use the HTML5 doctype but not use the new structural elements for the time being (eg due to worries about IE without JS turned on), or have to use HTML4/XHTML1 for the moment, I’d recommend the <div class=”html5-element-name”> approach. If you’re consistent you’d be able to do some of the conversion (class names to opening elements) via regex. Richard has linked to a cheatsheet I wrote above (thanks!), but if you’d like more info (ie this comment as an article ;-) I just wrote HTML5 structure—HTML4 and XHTML1 to HTML5, which might help…

\me wonders what formatting is supported in comments… here’s hoping

]]> By: Rich Clark http://html5doctor.com/your-questions-answered-1/#comment-105 Rich Clark Tue, 07 Jul 2009 08:24:06 +0000 http://html5doctor.com/?p=390#comment-105 Thanks Henry, glad you enjoyed the article we hope to have plenty more of them as your questions come in. Thanks Henry, glad you enjoyed the article we hope to have plenty more of them as your questions come in.

]]> By: Darren http://html5doctor.com/your-questions-answered-1/#comment-104 Darren Tue, 07 Jul 2009 08:18:50 +0000 http://html5doctor.com/?p=390#comment-104 @Henry. EVERYONE would be a better developer if IE just went away completely!! ;) @Henry. EVERYONE would be a better developer if IE just went away completely!! ;)

]]> By: Darren http://html5doctor.com/your-questions-answered-1/#comment-103 Darren Tue, 07 Jul 2009 08:13:20 +0000 http://html5doctor.com/?p=390#comment-103 Excellent tips, thanks Rich! Excellent tips, thanks Rich!

]]> By: Henry http://html5doctor.com/your-questions-answered-1/#comment-100 Henry Mon, 06 Jul 2009 18:39:51 +0000 http://html5doctor.com/?p=390#comment-100 Great article Rich! I have been wanting to mess around with HTML 5 but what's holding me back is the same reason I don't use CSS3. I wish that IE 6 would disappear although I also feel that IE has made everyone that developes for it make them a better programmer in the sense that they have to clearly understand how exactly elements work with CSS and how to 'hack it' to make it work. Keep up the great articles looking forward for more! Great article Rich! I have been wanting to mess around with HTML 5 but what’s holding me back is the same reason I don’t use CSS3. I wish that IE 6 would disappear although I also feel that IE has made everyone that developes for it make them a better programmer in the sense that they have to clearly understand how exactly elements work with CSS and how to ‘hack it’ to make it work. Keep up the great articles looking forward for more!

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