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Scribd Switches To HTML5

Posted by timothy on from the let-a-thousand-documents-bloom dept.

drfreak writes "This story from OSNews describes Scribd, a site for uploading and reading documents, switching from Flash to HTML5. The major reason for the decision was that HTML5 supports all the major points of the site's previous functionality, so they saw no point in using Flash any more. The big improvement in the rollout is that documents are now first-class citizens of HTML and no longer need to sit in a Flash 'window.'"

18 of 177 comments (clear)

  1. Wow by OrwellianLurker · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Completely blank page (scribd) until I enabled flash. I can't stand sites that have the most basic shit (plain text, etc) in flash. How is that even necessary? Good move getting off that Flash addiction.

    --
    'Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.' - Mao Tse-tung
    1. Re:Wow by raphael75 · · Score: 1, Insightful

      So what if it has javascript? There's nothing wrong with it. It's the language of the Internet.

  2. Re:So What? by 0123456 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    What the hell does some random site changing browser tech have to do with the rest of the 97 percent of the computing world that doesn't give a damn about Apple and their products?

    Just because we don't care about Apple, that doesn't mean that we want Flash; I'll celebrate the day I can finally uninstall that bloated swamp of security holes from all my PCs.

  3. Scribd adds what value, exactly? by Animats · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Scribd is more of a pain than a useful tool. It's basically an online PDF viewer, one which makes content non-downloadable. It takes away functionality; you can't select and cut text. So it's really more a form of DRM than anything else.

    You can get most of the same effect by rendering your document to PDF with the page size set to "trade paperback".

    1. Re:Scribd adds what value, exactly? by virgilp · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Furthermore, I find their "major reason" that HTML5 supports all the major points of the site's previous functionality to be a blatant lie. To give one example - ok, HTML5 supports webfonts... but how exactly are you going to license the fonts from Adobe (or any other font foundry that doesn't give away the font for free)?

      Don't get me wrong: the ability to select, search (*) and so on is great, and could be a very good reason per se to switch. But I don't think that the solution is to flame things up.... just go the Google way, they added HTML5 video on youtube (where possible(!) ) and didn't make so much fuss about scrapping a plugin that enabled them to have a business in the first place.

      I'm pretty sure that this is going to backfire for scribd in the future, as they have set some not-so-realistic expectations with their messaging, in the hopes of getting lots of publicity. This whole HTML5 craze reminds me of the similar period when XML was fashionable and thought (by some) that it will replace SQL databases, and would become the universal-good-for-all-storage-format. Guess what, Oracle is still around :)

      (*) Search doesn't really work in my experience... check http://www.scribd.com/documents/30964170/Scribd-in-HTML5. If you select text in a box you can then search (& find stuff in that box), but not in all boxes; for instance, try searching "me three".

  4. "We" just did that. by SuperKendall · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Can we quit calling everything that uses HTML5 video "HTML5"?

    I'd be happy to but... what the hell are you talking about"

    Scribd is all documents, all the time. As in things you read?

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
  5. Better for Android too. by SuperKendall · · Score: 3, Insightful

    This is a story targeted at the hardcore Apple Hipster Douchebags

    I wasn't aware Android users were "Apple Hipster Douchebags".

    Because after all, this means all Android users will be able to use Scribd now. Not just the select few with the very latest devices WHEN Flash support arrives on Android.

    After all, these are DOCUMENTS we are talking about. Why should they not be easily readable on any mobile device, not just those few that support Flash (which currently is none).

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
  6. Re:Wow. by bennomatic · · Score: 1, Insightful

    That's right! That's why OpenOffice.org totally beats out the Microsoft suite.

    --
    The CB App. What's your 20?
  7. Already Dead by gyrogeerloose · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Flash is like a zombie. Even though may be walking, it's already dead. It just doesn't know it. Yet.

    --
    This ain't rocket surgery.
  8. My God Are You An Idiot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Get the fuck off this site. Just do it.

  9. Re:So What? by Antity-H · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Don't worry, by the time you are able to do that, they will have implemented twice as much security holes directly in the browser. it might be slightly less bloated (more likely : much more bloated) and some of the holes will be advertised as "features" but they will be there nonetheless.

  10. Re:So What? by mike260 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Good thing there's competition in the browser space then, innit?

  11. Re:Not Really HTML5... by michaelhood · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I'll settle for unruly code if it deprecates and banishes flash... hands down

    So it's just a holy war for you, rather than the actual best tool or solution for the job?

    That sort of spaghetti markup leads to huge pages, increased CPU load (browsers trying to render and mark up all the tags and mangled CSS), and other ill effects. It's not quite a black & white, "HTML IS BETTER THAN FLASH!" like you want it to be.

  12. Re:So What? by dilvish_the_damned · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Its a poignant piece because of the ipad and Apples refusal to allow Flash. Its timely because it signals the death of Flash, and appropriate because HTML5 is really here, not vapor, and major sites are moving to HTML5.

    I am not an Adobe hater by any means, I wish them well. I have no love of Flash, its always been too buggy and too bloated to match its usefulness. I am fairly certain you do not have to like Apple or be a fanboy to recognize this. You just have to be realistic. Flash has always been crap.

    And since you love Flash everything you say will be crap too.

    --Dilvish

    --
    I think you underestimate just how much I just dont care.
  13. Re:That's why they're doing HTML5. by Hurricane78 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    But what is the point of Scribd? (Hint: There is absolutely none.)
    Just replace every link to Scribd with the link to the PDF, and you’re good.
    Oh, wait, that’s actually easy to do with Greasemonkey. Except that Scribd still requires you to log in, and get a session id to download it. So it’s still pointless DRM / obfuscation.

    --
    Any sufficiently advanced intelligence is indistinguishable from stupidity.
  14. Re:That's why they're doing HTML5. by mTor · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Even if you can't, Scribd has always allowed you to download the original PDF.

    Not true at all. Person who uploads PDF can prevent download of files. A person who upload can even prevent you from copying text out of files!

    I personally dislike Scribd simply because they host a ton of other people's content. I found 4 of my PDFs there ( 3 presentations, one ebook) and the people who uploaded them were making money off it and so was Scribd (ads).

  15. Re:That's why they're doing HTML5. by abhi_beckert · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Do you hate google as well? They also give you access to stuff other people made public, often illegally.

    Hell, we should shut down the whole internet.

  16. Re:Scribd in HTML5 by CarpetShark · · Score: 2, Insightful

    http://www.scribd.com/documents/30964170/Scribd-in-HTML5

    Sorry, I'm avoiding that link. Do you have a simple pdf link anywhere?