If you have been anywhere near our website in the last few days, you must have noticed a lot of orange banners urging you to get involved with the HTML5 funding campaign. This exciting initiative aims to bring Web deployment to LiveCode without the need for a plugin or anything the end user has to download.

What is HTML5?

From Wikipedia:

HTML5 is a core technology markup language of the Internet used for structuring and presenting content for the World Wide Web...it extends, improves and rationalises the markup available for documents, and introduces markup and application programming interfaces (APIs) for complex web applications. For the same reasons, HTML5 is also a potential candidate for cross-platform mobile applications. Many features of HTML5 have been built with the consideration of being able to run on low-powered devices such as smartphones and tablets.

A very interesting side effect of deploying to the web is that it removes the dependence of apps on the iOS app store to get it onto iPads and iPhones. If your app can run in a browser, you can bypass the complex process of building for iOS and getting approved for the iTunes store. You can get your app straight into the hands of your end users. Our plan is to add the ability to deploy straight to HTML5 to the raft of platforms already supported by LiveCode. You just write your app in LiveCode as usual, and then click a few buttons to output for Web.

We've had a lot of reaction to our plans! Most people are stoked, here are some typical responses:

"This project sounds tremendously exciting! Publishing applications out to HTML5 opens up a whole new realm of opportunities for coders, and also opens up a range of interest for students learning to code. This is a very important strategic direction for LiveCode that will make it more attractive for amateur and professional coders. I will *definitely* support this project and look forward to the expanded interest among students who will be able to publish their work to a broad audience more easily."

 

"Excellent.  I've been waiting for this for years! In particular, I hope to be able to use this to develop a SCORM kit so educators can make interactive content that can be embedded in systems like Moodle. This would be a huge help. Most of the tools we have access to for this purpose are very expensive, difficult to use, or both."

My question is, what does HTML5 Web deployment mean to you? What would you do with it? How could you see it changing the way you write for the web? To bring a bit of visualization to this, we'd love you to make a slide mocking up your projected app or usage case, and send it in. We'll post your slides on our Facebook pages.

Of course, we are all keeping a very close eye on the progress of the campaign. As I write this we are on $39,407, within a whisker of 10% of the total required. Not bad for the first 3 days! In article 4 of this newsletter you can download and deconstruct the little app we're using here to monitor progress in real time. Who will post the pledge that takes us to $40,000? You can read the roll of honor here - of course some backers choose to remain anonymous, we are no less grateful to them!

If you want to see LiveCode deploy to the web, please do go and make your pledge now!