Update: We apologise for any inconvenience this may be cause, but a client has shown interest in this prototype and it has been removed until further notice.
Rock & roll.
HTML 5 Canvas.
So HTML5 has a few new semantic elements and a "Flash-killer", called Canvas.
I was challenged to research, brain storm, build, and subsequently blog the piece in just 5 hours.
Rotation, Flickr integration and an audio player all got cut due to the time, but maybe if I have time in the future...
Canvas.
HTML5 is the next major revision of the HTML standard. It includes new elements for semantic markup, audio, and video playback.
Geared towards the next generation of the web, it provides the competition Flash (and Silverlight) need in order to continue to innovate.
Canvas isn't yet at a stage where it's a drop in replacement for Flash, but it does have it's use cases.
Canvas can be used where Flash would inappropriate, such as:
- Charts and graphs
- Simple animations
- Resolving browser limitations (such as fonts and CSS)
- Simple components
While Canvas isn't a drop in replacement for Flash, saving the Internet from the closed-sourced plugins.
It is a replacement for the times when loading a plugin and heavy external resources is too much of a burden compared to the investment.
For now, Canvas might just be resigned to advertising (defeating the current wave of ad blockers), replacing sIFR and media players.