Scribd Switches To HTML5 177
drfreak writes "This story from OSNews describes Scribd, a site for uploading and reading documents, switching from Flash to HTML5. The major reason for the decision was that HTML5 supports all the major points of the site's previous functionality, so they saw no point in using Flash any more. The big improvement in the rollout is that documents are now first-class citizens of HTML and no longer need to sit in a Flash 'window.'"
Scribd in HTML5 (Score:5, Informative)
http://www.scribd.com/documents/30964170/Scribd-in-HTML5 [scribd.com]
Re:why was it flash in the first place? (Score:2, Informative)
Near as I can tell, they thought keeping fonts the same as an original doc was important, and browsers didn't used to be able to handle downloading fonts.
Re:HTML5 (Score:2, Informative)
You do realize that Scribd HTML5 has nothing to do with video, right? The main features they were looking for are proper (better) layout and web fonts.
Not Really HTML5... (Score:5, Informative)
So far as I can tell this is mostly just html4.1 plus some web-fonts thrown in (which is properly css3), and a bunch of mostly browser-specific css. Not really html5. They mention canvas in their introduction, but I haven't come across an example.
Certainly looks better than the flash, but take a look at the source code and it'll make your eyes bleed. So much for semantic code - there are spans and divs up the wazoo.
Re:HTML5 (Score:1, Informative)
Scribd isn't a video site, so I'm not sure why you keep talking about the HTML5 video tag. Yes, it's becoming increasingly more common for people to think HTML5 == <video>, but that's not what this summary is about. I do agree with you though.
Re:Better for Android too. (Score:0, Informative)
There are current handsets that support flash right now. My desire supports flash, my 3-4 year old HTC TyTN supports flash.
What's coming for Android that I think your referring to is just the new build of flash which Adobe are hyping.
Re:uhh? weird (Score:3, Informative)
In my Safari and Chrome it works perfectly fine. Are you sure you're not doing something wrong?
Re:So where's the HTML5? (Score:3, Informative)
Do one of the following:
1. Click on the "See this document in HTML mode" link to the right
OR
2. Replace "doc" in the address bar with "documents"
Re:uhh? weird (Score:4, Informative)
Check http://www.scribd.com/documents/30964170/Scribd-in-HTML5 [scribd.com], it has a blue box to the right, with the title "Reading just got better", where you can switch to HTML5 mode
(I'd really say "HTML mode" since it works in IE too.... the whole HTML5 vs Flash argument for Scribd is just flamebait/publicity stunt).
You have to enable it. (Score:5, Informative)
Go to scribd.com, notice the Google Ad, click "try it now". Or, on most of their featured pages, you should be able to click "view with HTML" on the right side.
So, it's something they're trying out. It's not actually the default yet.
That's why they're doing HTML5. (Score:5, Informative)
You can select and copy text. I'm sure you can find a way to spider the pure HTML pages. Even if you can't, Scribd has always allowed you to download the original PDF.
The Insensitive clods! (Score:3, Informative)
And maybe not the mobile phone either. WAP 1.0 phones are still about.
Hello, mods? (Score:2, Informative)
Why on Earth has this been moderated "troll"? I don't agree with everything in the post, but there's sure-as-hell no trolling here!
Re:Socialcubix (Score:3, Informative)
You could have just linked to http://ezinearticles.com/?Flash-Vs-HTML5&id=4175699 [ezinearticles.com] where you borrowed that from, since your text formatting is on-par with Scribd's..
Re:My God Are You An Idiot (Score:2, Informative)
An idiot really? None of what I said is untrue, and it is not trolling.
Why don't you look into the story of Dmitry Sklyarov? What you will find is a company, Adobe, that not only pushed security through obscurity, but brought great shame to the US by conspiring with the FBI to horribly abuse the man.
And over what? Pointing out that Adobe Document security was a farce?
This has nothing to do with open-source, closed-source, flash-sucks, flash-rules, proprietary-platforms, whatever. What it has always been about is Adobe's behaviors defending and promoting it's business and that it has not always been in their own customers best interests.
You can claim that is trolling and hate me for it, but Adobe is a horrible company, with pretty decent development products. It does not matter to me if they really do make the best HTML5 tools in the world. They are still Adobe, and Adobe at the end of the day, has demonstrated just how dirty and nasty they are willing get......
I feel the same way about Sony. Once a rootkit malware installer, always a rootkit malware installer.
It's like an aged pedophile out of prison after 20 years. Sure, he may seem like a nice guy now, and tries so hard to (seemingly) do the right thing and smile, but you would be foolish to forget he fucked some little boy in the ass .
That's all I ever point out about Adobe and Sony. No, they don't deserve a second chance.
Re:My God Are You An Idiot (Score:1, Informative)
That's not the point. The point is what you're saying makes no fucking sense. Did you read the summary? Who are you hoping fails? Scribd? Obviously not, they don't make HTML5 development tools. Adobe? Nobody's talking about Adobe or their Document security here, because this artice is about Scribd!
Lay off with the random tangents.
Re:Not Really HTML5... (Score:1, Informative)
this is mostly just html4.1
I hear they took the HTML 4.1 specifications, ripped it off in it's entirety, made some small tweaks, and are calling it "HTML5". Shocking I know.
In all seriousness, "HTML5" really means "doing stuff with html/css/scripting that wasn't possible in old web browsers". Scribed is using javascript to control the position of certain elements on the page, which was too slow until recently, and using the new canvas feature to do vector artwork, and using custom fonts — that's been around for a long time, but wasn't broadly supported.
There's plenty of things going on on that page which were either difficult or impossible with HTML/CSS/JavaScript just a few years ago.