The Tools - Realtime Web Apps: With HTML5 WebSocket, PHP, and jQuery - page 16

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<p>All content &copy; 2012 Jason Lengstorf &amp; Phil Leggetter</p>
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this code, when loaded in a browser, will be rendered similar to Figure 2-1 .
Figure 2-1. The browser output generated by our HTML5 markup
CSS3
Similar to HTML5, CSS3 has been over-hyped and watered down. At its core, the adoption of the CSS3 spec was a step
toward removing our dependence on hacky techniques and tons of images to create cool effects on our websites. It
introduced support for visual effects—drop shadows, rounded edges, gradients, and more—and gave developers a
way to use nonstandard fonts without Flash or JavaScript hacks. It provided new ways to select elements and gave us a
way to animate elements on a page without using Flash or JavaScript.
Why Do We Need It?
CSS3 gives us tools to do some pretty cool effects that will improve our app. These include:
• Visual effects to make the user interface look good: We're visual creatures, and we tend to
be drawn to things that are visually appealing. You'll use CSS3 to give the app a little flair using
things like drop shadows and gradients.
• Non-essential animations to improve the user experience: Since they're not fully supported
yet, we can't rely on CSS3 transitions for essential animations, but we can definitely use them
to add some extra pizzazz for users on modern browsers.
• Style rules to tell the browser how to display the markup: In order to give our app its basic
look and feel, we need to create a stylesheet with rules to tell the browser what each element
on the page looks like. This is the overarching purpose of CSS.