Adobe’s Flash is brilliant. It allows for a level of interactivity that was non-existent on the web before it was developed. Videos, games, advertisements; you name it and Flash can probably do it.

There is a downside, though.

A lot of people don’t like the fact that Flash is a standard controlled by Adobe. They would much prefer an open standard with limits set only by the imagination of a developer, not by a large company.

HTML5 might just be the alternative.

Apple made a bold decision not to support Flash on the iPhone and iPod Touch. Now, with the introduction of the iPad, many people are realizing that Apple is serious about using HTML5. This lack of Flash in what seems to be a popular device (300,000 pre-ordered or sold the first day) sends a clear message to the industry.

You don’t need Flash.

According to Apple’s "iPad-ready websites" page, many sites are jumping on the iPad-ready website craze, including CNN, NY Times, Vimeo, Netflix and ESPN, just to name a few.

What is HTML5?

HTML5 is the next revision of the HyperText Markup Language (HTML). Currently, websites written in HTML4 or earlier require the use of browser plug-ins (like Flash) to display some interactive content (videos, games, advertisements, etc.). HTML5 will allow this content without plug-ins. Since HTML5 isn’t controlled by one entity, it’s open to a higher level of innovation and outside-the-box development.

Some of the familiar elements of HTML4 are being updated to increase relevance in the current web climate. New functionalities like <audio> and <video> elements have been added as well.

HTML5 allows for older browsers to simply ignore newer elements that they cannot understand, so HTML5-compliant websites will not display with errors or huge gaps in code on older, non-HTML5-compliant browsers.

HTML5 also relies heavily on the newest CSS3 standard for its stylistic elements such as font, font size and color.

Although HTML5 is not an official standard yet, but it should be approved by the W3C by the end of the year.

Enough of the technical jargon, here are some reasons why HTML5 will impact your web experience:
•Speed-HTML5 is FAST. Many scripts that run on websites will be processed in the background, meaning an entire page load won’t be held up by an ad or embedded video that is slow to load.
•Less need for plug-ins-HTML5 allows for video and other media to be embedded in a site with about the same amount of effort as embedding an image.
•Cache-Web applications are able to be stored in a cache on your local computer, which means you could access your Gmail or play your favorite music video without being connected to the internet.
•New mobile application options-There are some HTML5 iPhone and iPad appearing on the web. They look and function like apps from the App Store, but are HTML5 based and do not require knowledge of Apple’s API. Not only do you not have to learn Apple’s complicated API, but you could bypass the entire app approval process.