There's a lot of buzz about HTML 5 and CSS 3 features...but is it really practical and feasible to safely start using these cutting edge technologies?

 

Well, first, let's touch upon my "cutting edge" statement. In fact, most of HTML 5 and CSS 3 isn't that new or radical...the proposed technologies have been crawling through the standards approval process for years. And most modern browsers have started to incorporate some features from both - but its support is not uniform or thorough...and hence the problems with implementing these technologies.

The 800-pound gorilla in the room.

The true impediment to implementing HTML5 and CSS 3? Yup, it's Microsoft's Internet Explorer, as usual. The latest incarnation of Internet Explorer, IE8 has next to no support for any HTML5 or CSS 3 (IE8 finally supports HTML 4 and CSS 2.1, almost...). And therein lies the rub.

 

Internet Explorer still controls around ±75% of browser market, and since IE8 doesn't do HTML5 or CSS3... combined with the fact that a substantial amount of users are still straddled with using IE7 or, worse, IE6 (which is probably one of the worst browsers ever written that's still in use), modern web development hits a major road block.

What about graceful degradation?

Sure, you can apply the practice of graceful degradation - where the site slowly "loses" features when non-standard browsers visit it....but this process is far from ideal. It requires additional coding and an investment in time - which in turn drives up costs. But more importantly, clients aren't pleased when the cool rounded corners show up under Firefox but not under Internet Explorer and so on. So while this tactic can be applied to personal projects - it's not generally an option for commercial projects - at least not in my experience.

So what's the solution?

Well, you can be one of the rebels...and discontinue support for IE6, which can make life remarkably better, and hopefully hasten the death of this swine of a browser. But since IE7 and IE8 still don't allow HTML5 and CSS 3, and since dropping IE6 support isn't always practical, you'll probably need to continue implementing tried and true cross-browser techniques to achieve your web design goals. This means creating rounded corners with sliding divs or using a javascript framework such as MooTools or jQuery to force the rounded corners, etc.

 

At least for the foreseeable future, commercial projects that require broad browser support will still require the use of proven cross-browser web design techniques. It's unfortunate, considering cost- and time-saving technologies exist (e.g., HTML5 & CSS 3), but until the standards are finalized and all major browsers support the majority of theses features (especially IE), we're stuck building for the lowest common denominator most of the time. So however distasteful, web clients will continue to pay more for "browser compatibility" testing and programming.

 

Even if IE9 heralds in a Microsoft revolution and they fully support HTML5 and CSS 3 - the users still need to upgrade. And since IE6 still clings to about 25% of the browser market, even 8-plus years since its release, and post two subsequent IE releases, it's almost certain web developers will remain burdened with the yoke of supporting Internet Explorer (IE6, IE7, IE8, and probably IE9) and it's lack of existing (and pending) standards.

So the answer is?

Unfortunately, it depends. If you or your clients are willing to sacrifice broad browser support or the will exists to allow graceful degradation - then yes, by all means start utilizing HTML5 and CSS 3. These technologies drastically improve web development and they will eventually become standard - even if it's years from now. So incorporating HTML5 and CSS 3 into your current or future web projects is optimal - since you're laying the foundation for compatibility in the future. But of course, you need to be aware that extra time and care will be required to insure the site degrades for non-compliant browsers (i.e., Internet Explorer) and you risk beta implementations of HTML5 and CSS 3. That is, support is not universal and could change once the standards are set.

 

 

How to support internet explorer and still be cutting-edge