When Should I Go For HTML5 & CSS3?

Question

There is a lot of buzz about HTML5 and CSS3. How do I know that it's time to get started with them and use them straight away in my projects or how far are we from using them?

Update: I don't want to apply the rules of:

Graceful Degradation
Progressive Enhancement

I know if this is the case, then we can use them today.

Operculum

Why won't you use them? And what do you expect as an answer? By 2015/2/12? – Jackdaw

If you are waiting until all used browser support CSS3 and HTML5 (including lynx and IE4), you would never use these techniques. – Trebizond

by your logic, you shouldn't even use xHTML or CSS2. So what are you doing on the web, then? Use HTML5 and CSS3 the same way you'd use xHTML and CSS2 and maybe fancy JS. Now. – Suppletory

What parts do you want to use? Some parts of it are already implemented. But both specifications are still Working Draft so there is no need to implement it. That means the specification can change and implementations need to be adjusted. That’s why most vendors wait until it’s a Recommendation (or at least Release Candidate). – Knudson

I was looking for pretty much what is posted by marius below. thanks all – Operculum

@erenon: Naturally and logically i don't expect browsers like IE4 to support it, can they support it by the way? No. – Operculum

@Horia Dragomir: I am using html and CSS2, i justed wanted to know about their latest incarnations. – Operculum

Answer 1

When can I use...

Indeterminable

conculsion: none is ready :( but you can still use drop shadows for example. It won't hurt if it doesn't appear – Matthus

Answer 2

Go for HTML 5 now, but make sure your site degrades gracefully if the users browser don't support the latest technology. It's the primary solution for CSS3.

Trebizond

If you still have to implement a "graceful degradation" solution for browsers without HTML5 support, why would you spend extra effort on HTML5, as the other solution will probably work on browsers with HTML5 support as well? – Glarus

To provide the functionality you can't get without HTML5, of course. That's why it's called degradation, you lose some, but in a controlled manner. – Jackdaw

Answer 3

Looking back at how long it took for most common browsers to support HTML4 and CSS1, I would predict that widespread HTML5 and CSS3 support will be available around year 2025.

Glarus

You are not an optimist one, are you? : ) – Trebizond

Rather a realist. But who cares about HTML5? I mean, the most useful feature of HTML5 is without doubt the ability to embed media using the audio and video tags. Most browsers (expect IE) offer standard compliant implementations of these features already, but since the standard is not mandating support for specific media formats and the different browsers are not offering a common set of media decoders, the support is useless for the common web developer. – Glarus

Answer 4

Another one, the famous list of Peter-Paul Koch:

http://www.quirksmode.org/compatibility.html

Medan

Answer 5

I am working in an environment where 90% uses IE7 and IE8, so I am reluctant to use HTML5 and CSS3 and then have to provide graceful degradation. It's like double the work, but same pay, and it violates the DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself) principle.

I guess it depends on whether you have fun tweaking css and javascript and have some spare time. If you do, then use HTML5 and CSS3 and provide graceful degradation. Otherwise..

I know this will slow down the adoption of HTML5 and CSS3, but when money and management talk, what can we do?

^_^

Rake

Answer 6

i think it also depends on what kind of application/website you are making and its target audience. if the target audience are expected to have a browser supporting the technologies you are intending to use, you are free to use them. otherwise, like ricebowl said "Progressive enhancement, graceful degradation" tho personally i don't really like having to clutter my code with "hacks" or fixes

Lepidolite

Answer 7

It all depends on your target audience. If you are doing something like a tech blog where the audience most likely has a modern, updated browser, by all means go HTML5 CSS3 crazy. But if you are doing something for any sort of business or a website for a little less experienced audience I would stick with

Disinterest

Answer 8

HTML5 and CSS3 are modular projects. They're supposed to be adopted part by part. You should talk about specific features or modules within the scope of these projects and ask if you can use them today.

There are things in HTML5 that are compatible with all older browsers, like the new doctype.

Then there are things that can be "faked" from javascript, like native json decoding, or local storage (with flash fallback).

It will take many years before you will be able to use the entire specs, but you don't have to wait for that.

Socinian

Answer 9

Start using it now and push your web visitors to update their browser. Microsoft is as usual the last one to implement this stuff and hey now we can have fancy fonts loaded from our webserver.

Priory