In HTML5: Myths and Misconceptions, author, Steve Hansen, addresses much of the hype surrounding the HTML5 standard and several of the general assumptions that have many developers grinding their teeth. Although most of his points are valid, are we as developers missing the benefits of having a mythos for a new technology?

For many years, a dark cloud covered the land of Web development. Developers were forced to do battle with a multitude of browsers daily. Some of these beasts were so large and incomprehensible (such as id est 6) that many weapons were hastily created only to combat the immediate problem. Although they were valiant efforts, weapons such as XHTML and Flash only gave way to more incompatibilities and performance issues. Not only developers but also users experienced such confusion and frustration that many languages were touted as saviors. The various languages and technologies grew in number (but not in overall solutions or long-term strategies) until it was felt that developers and the Web were standing on the Tower of Babel.

HTML5 is not the all-encompassing answer to the problems with Web development, and it is not the single technology that allows you to create a Web or mobile app. When most users use the term HTML5, they are actually also referring to CSS3, JavaScript or some other back-end program. Now I know it is not proper geek speak, but sometimes it can be beneficial to let the muggles have their catch phrases. Remember the hype of AJAX and more recently cloud computing? These terms carried just as many misconceptions as HTML5, but they served a purpose. Once a technology or scientific endeavor becomes a pop buzzword, it becomes more relevant and is usually adopted faster.

Of all the great features that HTML5 offers, the greatest may be the wide adoption across platforms. There has not been such a quick adoption of a Web technology in many years. My hope is that it signals the end of the dark age of Web development (no more fighting IE dragons). Let the general public have its myths as long as they don’t go too far and management doesn’t believe that HTML5 will wash away my sins or my bugs.