Scribd Switches To HTML5

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.'"

Comments

Wow

[OrwellianLurker]

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.

Re:Wow

[vtcodger]

Right on. Scribd has traditionally been a candidate for the worst designed site on the Internet managing to combine flash abuse, baffling layout, slow response, and wretched human factors in one tidy package. I started avoiding Scribd links months ago.

The bright side. I don't see how HTML5 could possibly make it any worse.

Re:Wow

[dilvish_the_damned]

How is that even necessary? Good move getting off that Flash addiction.

stage 1) We can quit any time we want too. You just don't understand. It makes us feel ways about things. We can't sleep without it. Its only for recreation. The chicks dig it. Everyone is doing it, and there is no proof.

stage 2) We can't take our life anymore! You have taken everything away from us! You have no right!

stage 3) So whats with this "alternative"? Does it do the same thing for us? Without the stigma?

stage 4) See my yard? Ya I got that pool with my own money. They tell me I was talking about myself in the plural form and stuff. I was on Flash. Ya, they have me on HTML5 now, I am feeling better, no longer have the iphone fits I used to have and my job got better. I don't crash as often on my new meds.

stage 5) Flash was retarded.

I am not sure why I felt the need to act that whole thing out, but your better for having read it. Congratulations.

--Dilvish

Scribd in HTML5

[noackjr]

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

Re:So What?

[0123456]

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.

Scribd adds what value, exactly?

[Animats]

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".

"We" just did that.

[SuperKendall]

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?

Better for Android too.

[SuperKendall]

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).

Not Really HTML5...

[Torrance]

So far as I can tell this is mostly just html4.1 plus some web-fonts thrown in (which is properly css3), and a bunch of mostly browser-specific css. Not really html5. They mention canvas in their introduction, but I haven't come across an example.

Certainly looks better than the flash, but take a look at the source code and it'll make your eyes bleed. So much for semantic code - there are spans and divs up the wazoo.

Wow.

[mcrbids]

You mean an open standard won out over a proprietary implementation?

Flash is about to be marginalized. It will happen quickly, in much the same way as the open HTML/DOM/Javascript beat out over 20 years of Microsoft "innovations" such as VB and .NOT. And in much the same way as Android is about the slaughter the iPhone.

See, open standards usually follow proprietary "trail blazers". Once the standard has been defined, copy-cats move in and do the same things, cheaper.

Apple originally won the desktop computer war, then lost it to the more open (and less expensive) Microsoft, which finally is losing it's lead to the even more open (and inexpensive) web/SOAP API. Apple got it right again with the iPhone, but is already losing it again with the highly proprietary iPhone now rapidly losing market share rapidly against the more open Linux/Google/Android platform. (Android's 4x marketshare growth in a single month - WTF!?!)

As a note, I have an HTC WinMo phone right now, but my next phone will almost assuredly be... Android!

Re:Wow.

[tk77]

Apple got it right again with the iPhone, but is already losing it again with the highly proprietary iPhone now rapidly losing market share rapidly against the more open Linux/Google/Android platform. (Android's 4x marketshare growth in a single month - WTF!?!)

I would say, and I believe many would agree, that the normal "user" doesn't care about or even understand what "open" really means. In fact, from reading many comments on various sites I would say that many "geeks" don't even understand what open means or how its applied to the various phones. Regardless, Apple has a single phone (granted with 3 revisions thus far), on a single US network. Android is available on multiple networks and more importantly, Verizon. I know many people that would love to get an iPhone but refuse to simply because they can't have it on Verizon. They complain that they won't be able to use mobile-to-mobile minutes talking to their friends and wont get unlimited sms/mms to their friends. Not one person I know has ever mentioned that they don't want an iPhone because its not "open".

Android phones are a great alternative to the iPhone on other networks so people will buy it. But to say that Apple is "losing" because they aren't open, I can't see how that can be completely proven as Apple recently announced they surpassed 1 million sold iPads (which run the same "closed" operating system).

As others have pointed out, you also have to count the iPads and iPod Touches as they all share the same OS and allow non-at&t users to have the "iPhone" experience without having to switch to at&t (or get non-contracted service on their iPad 3G's)

HTML5 may be the wave of the future, but..

[Qubit]

Heh. If you get to the end of the high quality introduction, you're presented with a link to the people that drew all of the images:

http://www.specialagentproductions.com/

Yeah, their site doesn't work unless you enable Flash. Pretty funny after the whole "get rid of proprietary formats" and "free your documents online" thing...

Re:So where's the HTML5?

[punit_r]

Do one of the following:

1. Click on the "See this document in HTML mode" link to the right
OR
2. Replace "doc" in the address bar with "documents"

Re:uhh? weird

[virgilp]

Check http://www.scribd.com/documents/30964170/Scribd-in-HTML5, it has a blue box to the right, with the title "Reading just got better", where you can switch to HTML5 mode
(I'd really say "HTML mode" since it works in IE too.... the whole HTML5 vs Flash argument for Scribd is just flamebait/publicity stunt).

You have to enable it.

[SanityInAnarchy]

Go to scribd.com, notice the Google Ad, click "try it now". Or, on most of their featured pages, you should be able to click "view with HTML" on the right side.

So, it's something they're trying out. It's not actually the default yet.

That's why they're doing HTML5.

[SanityInAnarchy]

You can select and copy text. I'm sure you can find a way to spider the pure HTML pages. Even if you can't, Scribd has always allowed you to download the original PDF.

Re:That's why they're doing HTML5.

[Hurricane78]

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.

Re:So What?

[mike260]

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

Re:My CPU fan is controlled by PWM...

[michaelhood]

Same here---sort of. Old desktop 2.4GHz P4 and scrolling causes 100% CPU usage in Firefox 3.6 which is supposed to have a decent Javascript implementation, but apparently not. I would test with Chrome, but the installer always fails on this machine with a completely useless error message. Don't know why.

That's because it's not necessarily a JavaScript issue, it's a omg-that's-a-lot-of-bad-markup (HTML and CSS) issue. And FireFox is getting more and more bloated with every release. I suspect your browser does similar on giant Slashdot threads, too?

Re:So What?

[dilvish_the_damned]

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

The experience isn't actually any better

[DeanLearner]

So from a clients perspective (mine in this case)the HTML5 experience is slow whereas the flash experience is reasonably quick.

And from the server point of view HTML5 is slower as well...

HTML5 - Served by app04 in 1.168 secs. cpu: 1.100

Flash - Served by app10 in 0.482 secs. cpu: 0.420

What's the point then?