February 21, 2012, 2:26 PM — Although vendor-written, this contributed piece does not advocate a position that is particular to the author's employer and has been edited and approved by Network World editors.
The app development debate about whether to go native, use HTML5 or employ a hybrid approach rages on, with HTML5 gaining the backing of heavy hitters such as Facebook and Amazon. But while the latter builds a strong case for success, it isn't as simple as that.
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Work began on the HTML5 in 2004 and its development was closely watched by Web developers for several years. However, a public letter by Steve Jobs published in 2010 titled "Thoughts on Flash" pushed it into the limelight and to the top of the media's agenda.
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The idea of "write once, run anywhere" has been the goal of the majority of the software industry since the mid-1990s, ever since the arrival of Java. Following this, several standards, companies and initiatives have come forward and failed in realizing this ideal. So, is the time right for the mass adoption and application of a "new" open standard?
HTML5 does tick most of the developer boxes. With a plethora of OS contenders, growing unease around the iOS walled garden, and public outcry surrounding the fragmentation of Android (an open standard in itself), the market conditions and mindset is ready for an alternative.
This is particularly true when you consider the impact, as well as associated challenges, that the consumerization of IT has brought on enterprise mobility initiatives. Organizations are putting their IT departments under pressure to innovate, but the question remains, where to start?
Within any organization, most likely, there are multiple devices that need to be supported -- each with a unique hardware and software configuration, and each requiring a dedicated native application to be built from scratch to ensure it fits the end-user requirements. It also needs to provide a compelling user experience that is comparable with mainstream externally developed applications, and meet with the relevant app store approval criteria.
HTML5 clearly offers significant cost, time and headache-saving benefits to the IT department. A HTML5 application can be run on Android, iPhone or BlackBerry devices and CSS3 features can be leveraged to automatically adjust the application page layout.
The fact that HTML5 apps are delivered as mobile Web applications can bypass the stringent and lengthy app store approval processes, quickly and easily providing new functionality and bug fixes onto the application server with immediate effect.
Web skills are also much more likely to already exist within an organization and the ability to reuse existing code brings other advantages when looking to lower barriers for widespread adoption of mobility at every level of the organization.
HTML5 and the enterprise user
While HTML5 clearly offers benefits, specifically when it comes to the development and deployment of mobile applications, does it mean that it's the right solution?
