HTML5 layout and browser compatibility challenges
Ready for a not-news flash? Ready or not, here it is, HTML5 is a work in progress.
What does that mean? In historic terms, it means that the standards for HTML5 are still being systematized, although a critical mass has been reached where the meaning and effect of most HTML5 terms is widely agreed on and browsers either support HTML5, or they are evolving in that direction in finite terms.
For developers, it means that as we exploit time and stress saving features of HTML5 to build web pages, we have to be aware of and compensate for the fact that some browsers will not support some aspects of HTML5.
We have addressed this in general terms in previous chapters, but in this chapter, we will examine exactly how this plays out in relation to HTML5 layout elements. Moreover, we will inspect and learn from how the HTML5 layout elements in Dreamweaver address compatibility problems.