HTML5

Also, the Senate votes to keep net neutrality rules, Barnes & Noble launches the Nook Tablet, Zynga grabs back IPO shares from 'undeserving' workers, and our robot overlords continue to render humans obsolete.

HTML5 struck again. After Adobe announced the killing of Flash plug-ins for mobile use, Microsoft seems to be wavering about Silverlight as well in favor of HTML5. Could plug-ins be passe?

Maybe Steve Jobs was right after all, or maybe HTML5 is maturing. Either way, Adobe announced the end of development support for their Flash Player plug-in used in mobile browsers.

In this 20-page PDF, experts explain all key HTML5 specs, from Canvas to Local Storage, plus the latest browser benchmarks and report cards on HTML5 support.

Win a free spot in a HTML5 Training for Web Developers class! This class is delivered online by a live instructor in a WebEx classroom. See more detail about class requirements, and enter here for a chance to win.

Microsoft appears to be taking a page out of Apple's play book saying it will dump plug-ins such as Adobe Flash from Internet Explorer 10 in Windows 8. Well, sort of.

HTML5 heralds some nifty new features and the potential for sparking a Web programming paradigm shift, and as everyone who has read the tech press knows, there is nothing like HTML5 for fixing the Internet. Sprinkle some HTML5 into your code, and your websites will be faster and fancier -- it'll make your teeth white, too. But the reality of what HTML5 can do for those seeking native-app performance on the Web falls short of the hype.

The basic Web application paradigm hasn't changed in almost two decades. Even the latest, slickest HTML5 websites resemble those of the early days of the Web, at least at their core. A developer wraps tags around data and writes a bit of JavaScript to make the sites somewhat more interactive. So what's all the big fuss over HTML5 being a game changer for apps on the Web?

While Microsoft embraces HTML5 and JavaScript for Windows 8, outside developers wonder about Silverlight and .Net

Google has dropped offline Gmail support in several operating systems until this summer, when HTML5 upgrade is released.

Animators and designers have long had to rely on Adobe's Flash and Dreamweaver software to create animation and interactive experiences for the Web. While HTML5 offers an alternative, there's been no easy tool for creating it--until now. Tumult's Hype, released on Friday, offers creative professionals an easy-to-use WYSIWIG editor for creating interactive Websites, animations, and more, all encoded in HTML5.