It was only five years ago that we were debating which technology - HTML5, Silverlight or Flex, should be the preferred option for developing enterprise web-based applications. At the time HTML5 showed real promise, but the more mature plugins were the preferred option for building complex applications. Few could have predicted that just a few years later HTML5 would win the battle, with plugins universally viewed as a ‘dead’ technology.

In the years in between, we’ve seen another heated technology debate emerge, this time between native and HTML5 mobile technologies. While HTML5 has clearly ‘won’ the web, the mobile technology debate still rages.

The continued debate hasn’t halted the rise of HTML5 and JavaScript; they are now considered viable technologies for both server-side development, via Node.js, and also desktop application development; in both cases pushing out the incumbent technologies, which have been growing stale.

This paper looks at the many opportunities HTML5 offers for desktop development, including innovative UI technologies, accelerated application development, evergreen deployment and the prospect of a single technology for app development, regardless of the platform (be it formfactor or operating system). It also looks at how the collaborative nature of HTML5 is pushing the technology forward in a way that makes it hard, if not impossible, for others to compete.

If you haven’t previously considered HTML5 as a desktop technology, it’s time to rethink your strategy…

If you are interested in reading more, this white paper can be freely downloaded in PDF format.