Is it too early to use HTML5?

There is a fair amount of buzz out there regarding HTML5. After all there hasn't been a major update to HTML since HTML4. But, let’s analyze how we got here and where we are going to see if implementing HTML5 on new web sites is realistic. If nothing else the HTML5 buzz is well worth the hype, it offers many new and exciting changes.

The W3C started developing HTML5 in June of 2004 with the expectation of completing its development as a working draft by midyear 2007. HTML5 is currently slated to reach a Candidate Recommendation stage by 2012. It also has been stated that HTML5 will not reach a W3C Recommendation until 2022.

As you can see if you are developing HTML5 sites for today there is a high probability that your site may not work by the time the official working draft is released. The action we take with HTML5 is to have fun with it, implement it in a test based only mode and learn the new standard as it develops. By no means would we build a companies or individuals brand or reputation using the standard as it exists today.