Five years ago, when prototyping some apps for PDAs, I’d never consider HTML + javascript. This is because there are enough form factor issues as well as browser incompatibilities to keep one awake all night.
Things have changed.
- WebKit seems to have gained ground in the mobile space, giving compatibility a much needed shot in the arm
- mobile devices have become more powerful
Self-interest drives mobile device manufacturers to improve their support of Web Applications.
Mobile device manufacturers do not particularly care whether you build applications in Java or HTML+javascript. All they really care about is selling more devices. Any device that can make use of existing applications (i.e. the web) is going to be important.
Just as Microsoft was careful not to break backwards compatibility from DOS to Win 3.1 to Win NT, mobile device manufacturers have a business reason to support HTML.
Read this to mean browser support is only going to improve.
Against this backdrop, JavaFX, Adobe Flex and Silverlight will have to work very hard to woo the web development crowd, and not count on winning by default as they have had in the past.
Postscript On the other hand, there is no reason why mobile devices can’t support everything. Nokia is now supporting Silverlight.
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