Is DHTML Dead? by Sasch Mayer
September 1997 saw the release of Microsoft's Internet ExplorerT 4, an event
which not only changed the face of web development but officially marked the
start of the infamous 'Browser Wars'.
Shipped with every version of Microsoft WindowsT (beginning with the final beta
release of Windows 98), Internet Explorer soon became by far the most popular
browser on the web.
Version 4 saw the introduction of Dynamic Hyper Text Markup Language (DHTML)
support, combining aspects of scripting with Cascading Style Sheet (CSS)
technology and thus allowing web developers the option of bringing far greater
interactivity to their previously static HTML documents.
The industry was ecstatic;
DHTML provided an effective solution to a large number of problems and seemed
ready to lead the way into a new era of client-side web development.
Then came the browser wars of the late 1990s which saw intense conflict between
Internet Explorer (compared by many to the Galactic Empire in Star Wars) and
Netscape Navigator (The Rebel Alliance?) which caused DHTML's quest for
dominance to stall in the face of incompatible cross-browser DOM (Document
Object Model) and CSS implementations.
Further hampered by many users' refusal to upgrade, DHTML became a cutting-edge
technology used by only a few developers due to its limited potential audience.
Indeed one might say that the fear of 'Browser Backwards Compatibility' issues
(a sadly misguided attitude which plagues the web development industry to this
day
) is at least partly responsible for the eventual demise of DHTML.
Meanwhile, with Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator unable to standardise
parameters, a company called Macromedia quietly released a product called
'Flash' which managed to circumvent browser limitations and consequently
cornered most of the market previously considered to be DHTML territory thus
hammering another nail into the coffin.
Though many may argue that DHTML is alive and well, consider for a moment the
fact that Microsoft's .Net framework has all but made DHTML obsolete.
Whilst the industry's acceptance of .Net was initially cautious, the system has
proved its value during the past few years and is now seen by many (especially
since the release of ASP.Net 2.0) as the future of the internet.
As .Net gathers more momentum we are likely to see a new phase in the
internet's evolution with even Flash's position on the web threatened
(especially in the face of its SEO issues) by the creation and expansion of new
.Net applications.
So, DHTML is well and truly relegated to the obsolete technology orphanage or the
bookshelf of web development nostalgia.
Face it; few developers will employ the use of technology which cannot be
trusted to function 100% accurately even between Windows platforms when there
are other, far more stable alternatives out there.
The fact is that, at least for commercial and application development, DHTML
really is dead.
About the Author
An accomplished writer with a background in technology, Sasch Mayer currently
lives in Larnaca and writes under contract to IceGiant
Web Design in Cyprus.
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