HTML is the core language of the World Wide Web and has constantly been changing since its introduction in the 1990s. HTML 5 is the fifth major revision of the language and could potentially be one of the most dramatic. Work on HTML 5 began in 2004 and it is still considered to be in the prototype stage. While there are many new changes that would be of interest to developers, we have featured several that might be of interest to your business. HTML 5 will feature the following:

Increased use of videos: Videos are already heavily used due to an ever growing broadband market and improved video software rendering. HTML 5 will continue to push media content in this direction by making it simple and efficient to add videos to any website. This allows users to view videos without having to use third party propriety plug-ins.

Canvas: HTML 5 defines the canvas element as "a resolution-dependent bitmap canvas which can be used for rendering graphs, game graphics, or other visual images on the fly ". Practical applications of the canvas element will allow users to build graphs, animations, games, and image composition. This will also allow other scripting languages to do much more while using less resources.

Caching: This concept is similar to cookies but on a larger scale. HTML 5 supports storing large amounts of information on your local hard drive. This will result in fewer requests to the server and could dramatically increase performance.

Geolocation: Geolocation is achieved through existing technologies such as Global Positioning System (GPS) and network signals such as IP address, RFID, WiFi and Bluetooth MAC addresses, and GSM/CDMA cell IDs. Simply put: you can see a users location (with their permission). It is understandable that geolocation has also raised many privacy concerns. These concerns are currently being addressed and the business applications are still being developed. If privacy concerns can be adequately addressed, this technology could have tremendous benefits down the road.

Offline-enabled sites: The first time a user visits a site, the server will tell the browser all the files needed to create a working site offline (html, images, videos, JavaScript). Once the information is downloaded, you can revisit the site regardless of whether you are connected to the internet. Once you get back online, the browser will automatically check for changes on the site. Reading web pages offline has always been easy for static pages. HTML 5 will allow users to download their favorite sites and view them at their leisure.

Because HTML 5 represents such as dramatic change, it will understandably take a long time to penetrate the market. (The authors of HTML 5 have predicted that it will not be fully implemented until 2022.) There are a few healthy signs, however, that the language is well on its way. First, there are several browsers that are HTML 5 compliant in its current form (Firefox 3.5, Opera, Chrome) and Internet Explorer appears to also be moving in the same direction. Second, these new features will allow businesses to do more with less development costs. A major obstacle is that HTML 5 is still considered as "a working draft " (www.w3c.org) and large companies will be reluctant to invest dollars against changing specifications. As with many new technologies, HTML 5 will face a chicken (will businesses use it) or egg (fully tested and stable) scenario for some time.

So how does this really impact YOUR business? That is the question that everyone is scrambling to find out! As we have pointed out, HTML 5 will continue to make the internet faster, more user and media friendly, and allow a tremendous expansion in mobile media. This will inevitably lead to prospective clients whose daily lives are tied to the internet. If you want their business your company will need to be as well. AC Website Design will continue to study this new development in internet design to continue to offer cutting edge services to our loyal customers.