HTML and CSS Reference
In-Depth Information
Geolocation
Remy Sharp
IN THE uk,
when red telephone boxes were still a com-
mon sight, inside each box was a printed note indicating
the address you were calling from. This was so that if you
had to call the police or an ambulance you knew where
you were. Of course, this also helped after a hazy Friday
night, calling home for a lift because you didn't know
where you were. This is the essence of Geolocation—
except without the beer.
The geolocation API has absolutely nothing to do with the
HTML5 specification, and was created by the W3C rather
than the WHATWG. In fact, it was never even part of the
original Web Applications specification (though it does
now reference the HMTL5 specification), but it's so darn
cool that we had to include it in this topic. In actuality, it's
a key API when it comes to applications and adding some
wicked—yes, wicked—social interaction.
