Back on 20-July 2009 I launch (quickly and from a local café) ishtml5ready.com in response to ishtml5readyyet.com, except some point along the line, I let the domain lapse (as did ishtml5readyyet.com) - but instead of it vanishing, someone else bought the domain, and added some Amazon links (and not even to mine & Bruce's book, dagnamit!).
Anyway, for the sake of prosperity, I wanted to post up the content here - since there was a mini post/rant inside the source code. Please note: this is not a new post!
If you're looking for a recent answer to this question, Christian Heilmann does a good job giving a detailed answer, which ends with:
So no, HTML5 is not ready and will never be – and that is a good thing. We have a standard for the web with all its change and adaptation and not a software standard that expects 5 year turnaround times in innovation.
Original post from 20-July 2009
That's right chief, HTML 5 is ready to work today.
Did you see any issues on this page in your browser? No? Okay, well go check the chap next to you. What about now? No?
That's because HTML 5 works right now. Sure it's not 100% complete, but 99% of the elements are in place.
It's the JavaScript stuff that's going to take a bit longer to get fully A-grade browser support, but there's a lot that's supported in the latest browsers.
Go check out html5demos.com for some of the JS stuff that works now.
If you want to learn more, head over to html5doctor.com for loads of tutorials on how you can get started with HTML 5 today.
Spread the word boss!
But what about 2022?
Aside from being the year Queen Elizabeth II will celebrate her Platinum Jubilee, assuming she’s still kicking around, 2022 is the year that’s been inappropriate linked with HTML 5 in the minds of a lot of our community.
I understand why someone might think that, but it’s wrong. 2022 was misinterpreted as the year HTML 5 would be ready. That’s wrong. HTML 5 is ready today.
In an interview by Tech Republic, for a techie audience, Ian Hickson, the editor of the HTML 5 working draft, was asked to give a timeline of the HTML 5 recommendation.
One date should have come out of that interview, but another, much further away did instead: 2022 - the date of the final proposed recommendation, which actually translates to:
require at least two browsers to completely pass [HTML 5 test suites]
Let’s put this in context of another spec that has taken a very long time: CSS 2.1.
CSS 2.1 is CSS that I’m certain you’re familiar with. I’m certain you use it day to day without any thought as to whether it’s a completed spec.
It’s been in development for over 10 years, and it’s only just become a recommendation (23rd April 2009).
That said, it doesn’t have two browsers completely supporting it. Only Internet Explorer 8 supports the full CSS 2.1 spec.
Did that stop you from using CSS 2.1? I suspect not. Will that stop us from using HTML 5? It certainly shouldn’t. HTML 5 is available and ready to be used today.
So, what is the important HTML 5 date?
October 2009.
This October is the last call for the HTML 5 working draft.
That means, that issues with the spec, enhancements, bugs, anything, it all needs to be in and submitted and written in to the spec for October this year (it can go through reiterations, the this is the main deadline).
The WHATWG is completely open for anyone to contribute their ideas and suggestions.
You can sign up to the mailing lists, look through the backlog of mailing list. You can communicate directly using IRC and there’s even a complete log of all the IRC history. All available from whatwg.org.