HTML and CSS Reference
In-Depth Information
Safari is a fast browser built using Webkit, which is an open source project based in Apple's hometown,
Cupertino, CA. Each new stable Safari release usually does not include all the latest and greatest offered through
HTML5, but users can always download Webkit Nightly, which is a bleeding-edge version of Apple's Safari browser to
experiment with features that may (or may not) make it into the final HTML5 spec.
iAD
iAD is Apple's ad network for developing and delivering rich media across applications throughout their app store; it
has some pros and cons. On the positive side, it's one standard, developed by Apple to be created once and deployed
across their huge ad network. Second, iAD offers a suite of software to use to create really rich ads with extreme
ease. However, it is Apple, and Apple is known somewhat as a “walled garden”—you need to follow all of Apple's
rules to access inside, and once inside there is only a specific set of features to play with. Also, being locked into a
suite of software tools developed by Apple, I've noticed that the k-weight of iADs are absolutely huge, especially for
a mobile device; this is something that seems like a huge oversight in my opinion. Aside from that, iAD once started
with a minimum campaign entry budget of a million dollars. However, due to the lack of participants, Apple recently
dropped its ticket price, yet again, to $100,000. We'll look at how Apple plans to enhance its tools and the iAD platform
in and for the future, but we'll focus more on iADs in Chapter 9.
Google
Much like Apple, Google has had a long history on the Web. Starting out as a search engine, it has moved into many
different web markets: social, mapping, analytics, browsers, and mobile. Much like Apple's Safari browser, Google's
browser, Chrome, is built on the Webkit engine, and Google's emerging web browser, Chrome Canary, supports many
bleeding-edge HTML5 features that may or may not make it into the final HTML5 specification.
AdMob
Among Google's mobile efforts is its ad network, AdMob. Acquired in November 2009 for $750 million dollars, AdMob
has its own list of mobile publishers that leverage the AdMob SDK and allows advertisers to run across the AdMob
network and maintain the same functionality across applications. Along with its ad network, Google also runs the
Android operating system for mobile devices. Android has a huge market share within the mobile ecosystem, but its
focus on openness creates its own microfragmentation in the market. Android devices can vary in screen size. the
browser, video players, and other feature sets, as well as the version of the operating system, can vary, too, since the
system is open. Apple, unlike Android, has a controlled development environment, which lets developers know what
they're getting into by explicitly keeping the operating system closed.
The final thing to mention about Google is its Dart Programming Language. Dart is Google's method of executing
and replacing JavaScript within its Chrome browser more rapidly, as well as solving some of JavaScript's problems.
Dart is an object-oriented programming (OOP) language with a C-style syntax. Dart is either to be compiled into native
JavaScript or to work directly within the Dart Virtual Machine on the latest browsers that support it. As of March 2012,
Apple, Mozilla, Microsoft, and Opera have no plans of implementing Dart into their browsers. However, keep this
language in mind if or when you deploy to browsers that support DART. It could prove to be beneficial in future
development.
Adobe
There's been a lot on Adobe and the Flash Platform in the preceding sections. Adobe has long had its roots in the
Web with the Flash Platform, and the Flash plug-in went through some changes (to say the least). However, Adobe,
an active member in the W3C and working groups, is still committed to the emerging web standards and is offering
