HTML5 not ready for the web, says W3C

The World Wide Web Consortium has warned developers to wait for a more stable HTML5

HTML5 is not yet stable enough for general developer use, according to experts at the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).

Many of the the major technology firms have already thrown their weight behind HTML5, which has been in development at the W3C since 2004. For example, the technology features prominently in Microsoft's Internet Explorer 9 browser, while Yahoo put it at the heart of this morning’s improved search announcements.

However, these firms may have moved too fast, according to Philippe Le Hégaret of the W3C, who has been tweeting his concerns about HTML5, following an interview with Infoworld.

Yesterday, responding to a question on his Twitter feed regarding a meeting about HTML5 late last month, he said he and his colleagues had uncovered some interoperability problems, but did not provide any detail.

“There are interop issues with HTML5 and recommend to use hacks isn't the right approach (sic),” he said.

Later, responding to another comment, he suggested that the software should only be used experimentally, and that developers should expect problems.

“Sure,” he said, “it's fine to experiment with HTML5 and existing implementations, but don't expect stability.”

Other firms that may expect stability apart from Yahoo and Microsoft include BlackBerry, Samsung and Apple, which is using HTML5 as a replacement for Flash.