WEB DEVELOPMENT | BUILD
gone by. While middleware is a good interim solution – SGX itself uses the jPlayer library, which falls back to Flash – the real solution is for the W3C to work with app and browser developers to create a good standard that everyone can follow.”
A DEBUGGING NIGHTMARE Whilst the issue of audio problems appears unanimously negative, issues with its programming are up for debate. Despite many devs being uncomfortable with coding in JavaScript, others have found workarounds and suitable tools to help with overcoming problems such as cross-browser compatibility and JavaScript debugging. Goodwin says that developing in this language can be a “debugging nightmare”, as errors are allowed to sail through to run-time instead of being caught at the compile period, making creating games at times a torrid process. But he believes that JavaScript has an unfortunate reputation because of these issues. “If you write with the same diligence you
would if it were C++, you will stand a better chance of keeping your sanity,” he explains. “JavaScript, as a language, is very capable,
it’s just unfortunate that it has a bad reputation because it was always used to interact with different – incompatible – browsers.” Herbert goes as far as to defend HTML5 in
this area, and says he does not feel it is difficult to program with, but on the contrary, JavaScript has many ideal features suited for creating browser games and that developers just need to become more accustomed to coding with the language. “I certainly wouldn’t agree that HTML5 is difficult to program with, it’s an ideal environment for the sort of rapid prototyping,” says Herbert.
DEVELOP-ONLINE.NET
“OOP in JavaScript can be a little weird for
developers used to C# or Java, not least because the syntax at first glance would be very forgiving but there’s no apparent and solid definition for what a ‘class’ is in JavaScript. Although any OOP design pattern will translate into JavaScript, it does take a little getting used to.”
I think users will be dragged kicking and screaming into the
new world of HTML5 whether they like it or not.
Sandy Duncan, YoYo Games
Whilst these technical issues can be overcome in the near future as a plethora of companies search for the best standard solutions, another of the biggest obstacles HTML5 faces in the near future is the size of its userbase.
ATTRACTING USERS Whilst it is undoubtedly open to hundreds of millions of people – reportedly more than 800 million – its biggest rival Flash has a userbase of more than two billion, and it is supported by most current browsers, compared to just 40 per cent that support HTML5. With Flash being so readily available and
used by most potential customers, it has been hard for HTML5 to break through, particularly on the back of its early teething problems, and the fact that it is still under development. “HTML5 use has definitely been picking up,
with browsers rapidly adopting HTML5 specifications, but we’re waiting for
consumers to update their browsers,” says Peter Driessen, CEO of social gaming giant Spil Games. “HTML5 isn’t ideal for out-of-date browsers, which a sizeable chunk of the population still uses on its computers and mobile devices.” But Duncan believes this won’t be a
problem for the platform for long, with many new browsers ditching Flash altogether and integrating HTML5, whilst Apple and Microsoft have forgone the use of Flash on iOS and Windows 8 altogether. “With the auto-update features of Chrome,
Firefox, Opera and now Internet Explorer, I think users will be dragged kicking and screaming into the new world whether they like it or not,” he asserts. “And to be honest, it’s for the best – old
browsers are slow, sometimes bug ridden, and full of security holes, so an auto update is for the best. This makes it really attractive to developers though, as they can be assured that ‘most’ users who care about running things like games will probably be up-to-date, and if not, be willing to go and download a new browser to get there.” Scirra’s web developer Tom Gullen agrees,
saying that as long as progress is made, users will eventually adopt the platform anyway, so devs shouldn’t be afraid to use it. “Some are but they shouldn’t be. It’s
obvious to us that HTML5 is the next big growth area on the web,” asserts Gullen. “As long as HTML5 keeps progressing as it is and browsers keep working to support it as well as possible, the userbase will keep on growing and eventually surpass Flash.” Ibon Tolosana, CTO of CocoonJS creator
Ludei, says that HTML5’s potential to dominate as the web development standard is a key benefit of adopting it now, rather than get caught out and left behind once it
APRIL 2012 | 43
Top to bottom: Ludei CTO Ibon Tolosana, creative director of Remode Studios Martin Darby, Spil Games CEO Peter Driessen and SGXengine creator Steven Goodwin. Above Left; Teeth Defender
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