

Things You Hadn’t Expected HTML/Javascript Would Do - alifaziz
http://zef.me/2950/10-things-you-hadnt-expected-htmljavascript-could-do

======
chime
This list boils down to:

1\. Heavy-duty graphics, including video (canvas/svg)

2\. Collaborative text editing (canvas/svg/ajax)

3\. Read books in a mobile browser without a connection (localstorage)

I kind of expected a little more variety. Off the top of my head, here's what
I didn't expect HTML/JS to do, in addition to the above:

4\. Work on almost all new phones, without converting to a special language
(Remember WAP/WML)?

5\. Have open & standardized libraries that anyone can use to make coding
easier (proto/moo/jQ).

6\. Enable anyone to write browser-plugins easily.

7\. Run as a server (node.js)

8\. Constantly improve in performance

9\. Be written using templating systems: SaSS, HAML

10\. Still be handwritten in 2010 and beyond.

~~~
BerislavLopac
Looks to me like "a list of things HTML was never intended to do", except #10
of course.

------
ultrobast
Man, I remember wondering if Javascript would ever be widespread or enabled
enough for me to even make use of it. Not to mention how useless it was until
the DOM got "sorted".

Everything since then has been a kind of slow, gradual surprise.

~~~
cstuder
I made the same experience, especially when I discovered jQuery and other
cross-browser libraries.

Before, most scripts went along the
document.write(document.lastModified);-line. And if I remember correctly, not
even that worked in all browsers correctly. Made me give up rather quick.

------
WesleyJohnson
I started working on a Chrome "Installed App" for the upcoming web store and
was surprised to learn about the File API and being able to access files
through JavaScript. Certainly never expected that.

------
xtacy
All it needs some graphics acceleration so that it doesn't burn the CPU so
much.

