Many developers are now using HTML5 to build apps. It is easy to develop for and it works across a number of different platforms, with minimal or no code change. You can code in something as simple as Notepad, and instantly see it come to life in the browser on your desktop, phone, or tablet.
Today we are releasing three new HTML5 resources to help developers learn from our experience and the experience of other industry leaders building HTML5 apps:
What HTML5 Really Means
Technically, HTML5 is a World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) specification. In practice, it is the umbrella term for the set of open web technologies used to build modern web apps. These include HTML, of course, but also CSS, JavaScript, and a number of new APIs which, until recently, were only available to native apps (for example, offline capabilities). Combined, these new technologies enable you to build the next generation apps, using the web.
Cross-Platform, Cross-Device
Today almost every device, including phones, tablets, computers, and even TVs has a browser. Developers relying on HTML5 benefit from working with a single codebase that can run on all of these devices, so they build once and deploy everywhere within a minimal amount of changes for each device. Many developers, including Facebook, are using HTML5 in their mobile products, as it makes reaching users across many different devices simpler.
A practical example of this is the web app Words with Friends. Users can play this game just about anywhere. Zynga built it once using a single HTML5 codebase, allowing users to play it on their mobile phones, tablets, and desktop browsers. Check it out at http://m.zyn.ga/WWF.
Compatibility across platforms is only one part of the story. Getting your web app into the hands of users is the other.
Web apps can take advantage of existing social channels, including over 800 million Facebook users on desktop. Additionally, as of last week, mobile developers can reach over 350 million Facebook users on mobile.
Looking Ahead
The web already allows developers to create great apps and things are advancing rapidly. We hope these new HTML5 resources help accelerate the rate of innovation and improve the user experience of web apps.