HTML5 means the end of Silverlight
If you're like me, you might have a dream that surfers will soon not have to rely on plug-ins to enjoy browsing the web. For fellow dreamers, the forthcoming and latest round of browser wars might lead to a better web experience rather than yet another plug-in based nightmare.
Microsoft has recently had to grin and bear the pain, while its dominant Explorer browser has seen its market share attacked by a series of platforms, including Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari - and most notably - Google Chrome. With market share now hovering at round 60% (see further reading, below), it's almost as if the top guys at Redmond have suggested that enough is enough.
The result is a return of the browser wars, with Microsoft set to preview the final beta of Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) in September. Chrome is clean, simple and fast - and expectations will be that IE9 provides a much quicker browsing experience. Initial signs look good. Graphics performance is enhanced and hardware is accelerated. But the real story is the heavy use of HTML5, showing that researchers in Redmond also feel the next generation mark-up language is the best way forward for development.
