Most Internet users who read about HTML5 and how it is going to change the web might think it is all about HTML5 video as the controversy surrounding it was all over the news lately.
But HTML5 promises more than just a new video web standard, it introduces several new elements and attributes while getting rid of obsolete ones.
There are not a lot of websites that make use of HTML5 yet. Some video portals like YouTube began to use HTML5 video as an alternative to the common Flash video player, and some webmasters have begun to experiment with HTML5 on their websites but it is a minority for now that have implemented HTML5 elements on life pages or sites.
Most Internet users might not even see a difference yet except for the fact that they will experience error messages if their web browser is not supporting HTML5 elements used on websites if not properly implemented.
But how do you know if your Internet browser is capable of displaying HTML5 elements correctly?
The answer is the HTML5 Test:
The HTML5 test tests the HTML5 capabilities of every web browser. Simply load the url in a browser and the test will display a result score and in depth information about specific HTML5 elements and their score.
Test results are color coded and range from great to non-existent.
Firefox 3.6.4
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Google Chrome 6.0.422.0
google chrome html5 test
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Opera 10.60
opera 10.60 html5 test
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Internet Explorer 9 Platform Preview 2
internet explorer 9 html5 test
Google Chrome ranks best in the HTML5 test with a score of 142 of 160 followed by Opera with a score of 102 of 160, Firefox with 101 points and Internet Explorer 9 Platform preview 2 with 19 out of 160.
The developer of the test, Niels Leenheer, is currently working on an extended test that is available as a beta version.
The test results in the HTMl5 beta test are as follows:
- Firefox 3.6.4: 139 points, 4 bonus points out of 300
- Google Chrome 6 dev: 212 points, 10 bonus points out of 300
- Opera 10.60: 129 points, 4 bonus points out of 300
- Internet Explorer 9 platform preview 2: Broken
No browser currently supports all HTML5 elements. Google Chrome developers are far ahead of the other developers currently. Firefox and Opera compete at the same level and Internet Explorer 9 is not ready yet. It should however be noted that the Microsoft browser is offered in an early platform preview and that the developer’s have mentioned that HTML5 element support will be added in later platform previews of the browser.
Recap:
We have shown you how to test the HTML5 capabilities of any web browser. It will be interesting to see how the browser developers tackle the challenges that lie ahead to provide their users with an error-free browsing environment.