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.

"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?

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!

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: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:So What?

[mike260]

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