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Standards for Web Applications on Mobile:current state and roadmap
January 2014
Latest versionhttp://www.w3.org/Mobile/mobile-web-app-state/
This versionhttp://www.w3.org/2014/01/mobile-web-app-state/ (PDF version)
Previous versionhttp://www.w3.org/2013/09/mobile-web-app-state/
Web technologies have become powerful enough that they are used to build full-featured applications; this has been true formany years in the desktop and laptop computer realm, but is increasingly so on mobile devices as well.
This document summarizes the various technologies developed in W3C that increase the capabilities of Web applications, andhow they apply more specifically to the mobile context. A good subset of these technologies are described and explained in theW3C on-line training on programming Web applications.
1. Graphics ...................................................................................................................................................................................32. Multimedia.............................................................................................................................................................................103. Device Adaptation .................................................................................................................................................................144. Forms .....................................................................................................................................................................................175. User interactions ....................................................................................................................................................................226. Data storage ...........................................................................................................................................................................257. Personal Information Management........................................................................................................................................298. Sensors and hardware integration ..........................................................................................................................................319. Network..................................................................................................................................................................................34
10. Communication_and_Discovery............................................................................................................................................3711. Packaging...............................................................................................................................................................................3912. Performance & Optimization.................................................................................................................................................42
Status and changes
This document is the twelfth edition of this overview of mobile Web applications technologies. The previous edition wasreleased in September 2013. A live version of this document accepts contributions on the W3C Web and Mobile Interest GroupGithub repository.
This document is published by the Web and Mobile Interest Group; feedback on every aspect of this document should be sent [email protected], the publicly archived mailing list of the interest group, or raised as issues on the Github repository,or alternatively to the author ([email protected]). It will serve as input for the next iteration of the document.
It documents the following changes in the Web platform since September 2013:
• CORS, the mechanism that facilitates the creation of mashups by enabling cross-origin requests, has been published as aW3C Recommendation;
• Performance Timeline and User Timing, both APIs that enable developers to track and improve the performance of theirapps, have been published as W3C Recommendations;
• Touch Events, the API that let Web applications react to touch input, has been published as a W3C Recommendation; workon the more comprehensive Pointer Events specification is continuing;
• Web Storage, a simple data storage mechanism for Web applications, has been published as a W3C Recommendation;• The Geolocation API, enabling location-aware Web applications, has been published as a W3C Recommendation;• Timing control for script-based animations, which enables to develop smoother Javascript-based animations, reached
Candidate Recommendation status;
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• Media Source Extensions, the key to the Javascript-based generation of video content, reached Candidate Recommendationstatus;
• Proximity Events and Ambient Light Events, enabling access respectively to proximity sensors and ambient light sensors,have reached Candidate Recommendation status;
• The first public Working Draft of the Web NFC API has been published, paving the way to integrate Near-FieldCommunications in the Web platform;
• The first public Working Draft of Beacon was published; that API offers to queue HTTP requests that are guaranteed to betriggered, even after the page has unloaded;
• Manifest for web apps and bookmarks was released as a first public Working Draft; the document specifies how to describethe properties (e.g. icon and name) of a Web application;
• Resource Priorities, a mechanism to indicate which network requests have high priority, was released as a first publicWorking Draft;
• The Patent Advisory Group formed to assess the Push API situation with regard to patent exclusions it had receivedconcluded that the disclosed patents did not read on the specification, opening the way to its further progress;
• Convergence on responsive images (i.e. images that adapt to the resolution of the screen on which they are displayed) isprogressing, with both <picture> and srcset gaining momentum as complementary approaches;
• An editors draft of the proposed new FileSystem API, an alternative to the Directories and System File API, has been madeavailable;
• An editors draft for Service Workers is emerging; Service Workers enables off-line or low-network connectivityoperations, and creates a framework for background operations for Web apps;
• Built on top of Service Workers, an editors draft of the System Applications Working Group’s Application Lifecycle andEvents specification was made available;
• Work on WOFF 2 (downloadable fonts), promising smaller downloads, has started with an evaluation of possibleimprovements
• The Device APIs Working Group formalized the abandon of a number of its APIs due to the lack of reasonable browser-based security models: Pick Media Intent, Pick Contacts Intent, Calendar API, Web Intents Addendum - Local Services
Document structure
The features that these technologies add to the Web platform are organized under the following categories: graphics (page3), multimedia (page 10), device adaptation (page 14), forms (page 17), user interactions (page 22), data storage (page 25),personal information management (page 29), sensors and hardware integration (page 31), network (page 34), communicationand discovery (page 37), packaging (page 39), performance & optimization (page 42).
Web
User
Storage
Web ApplicationPackaging
ContentText
Graphics
Multimedia
User Input
User Interactions
FormsHardware &Sensors
Network
Comm.
Other users
Other devices
Web Application Web Application Web Application
Other apps
PIM
The Web as an application development platform
In each category, a table summarizes for each feature:
• which W3C specification defines the feature; specifications that have been identified as of particular importance in theCore Mobile Web Platform 2012 report are marked with a medal,
STANDARDS FOR WEB APPLICATIONS ON MOBILE DOCUMENT STRUCTURE
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Editors
WD
LCWD
CR
PR
Rec
• which W3C group is responsible of the said specification,• the stage of the specification in the W3C Recommendation track (see below),• the estimated stability of the feature, i.e. how little the author expects it to change, from an early draft that can still evolve
a lot, to a finished document with only minor expected changes,• a link to the latest editors draft of the document, and a representation of the recent editing activity;• some qualitative indication on availability of implementations on mobile devices, based on data collected primarily from
Can I Use… and mobile HTML5, completed with data from Mozilla developer network, QuirksMode, as well as theauthor’s understanding of the mobile devices market (see also the code used to generate the support icons)
• When available, a link to a relevant tutorial on WebPlatform Docs, and to relevant on-line training courses onW3DevCampus
• a link to the test suite for the said feature, and when relevant, a github ribbon to access the underlying git repository.
As a reminder, W3C creates Web standards by progressing documents through its Recommendation track, with the followingstages:
“Editors drafts” represent the current view of the editors of the specification but have no standing in terms ofstandardization.
“Working Drafts” (WD) are early milestones of the Working Group progress.
“Last Call Working Drafts” signal that the Working Group has determined that the specification fulfills itsrequirements and all the known issues have been resolved, and thus requests feedback from the larger community.
“Candidate Recommendations” (CR) trigger a call for implementations where implementers are invited toimplement the specification and send feedback; Working Groups are expected to show the specification getsimplemented by running test suites they have developed.
“Proposed Recommendations” (PR) manifests that the group has gathered sufficient implementation experience,and triggers the final review by W3C Members
“W3C Recommendations” (Rec) are stable and completed Web standards; these documents only get updated rarely,through the “Edited Recommendation” process, as a results from errata collected by Working Groups.
Prior to starting standardization, a Working Group needs to be chartered, based on input from W3C Members, often through theorganization of a workshop, or after the reception of a W3C Member Submission.
W3C has set up Community Groups, a mechanism that allows anyone to do experimental work within the W3C infrastructure,under IPR rules that are compatible to transition the work to the W3C standardization process.
1. Graphics
SVG, Scalable Vector Graphics, provides an XML-based markup language to describe two-dimensions vector graphics. Sincethese graphics are described as a set of geometric shapes, they can be zoomed at the user request, which makes them well-suitedto create graphics on mobile devices where screen space is limited. They can also be easily animated, enabling the creation ofvery advanced and slick user interfaces.
The integration of SVG in HTML5 opens up new possibilities, for instance applying advanced graphic filters (through SVGfilters) to multimedia content, including videos. SVG 2.0 is set to facilitate that integration and complete the set of features inSVG.
In complement to the declarative approach provided by SVG, the <canvas> element added in HTML5 enables a 2Dprogrammatic API that is well-suited for processing graphics in a less memory intensive way. That API not only allows
STANDARDS FOR WEB APPLICATIONS ON MOBILE 1. GRAPHICS
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rendering graphics, but can also be used to do image processing and analysis — HTML 5.1 adds the ability to do that processingin a separate Web Worker.
Both SVG and HTML can be styled using CSS (Cascading Style Sheets); in particular, CSS3 (the third level of the specification)is built as a collection of specifications set to offer a large number of new features that make it simple to create graphical effects,such as rounded corners, complex background images, shadow effects (CSS Backgrounds and Borders), rotated content (CSSTransforms, including with 3D effects).
Animations can be described declaratively vi(CSS Animations, and CSS Transitions).
Animations can also be managed via scripting through the API exposed in Web Animations; as they can be resource intensive,the possibility offered by the Timing control for script-based animations API to manage the rate of updates to animations canhelp keep them under control.
CSS Flexbox allows to build complex layouts as required for interactive applications on small screens.
Fonts play also an important role in building appealing graphical interfaces, but mobile devices are in general distributed withonly a limited set of fonts. WOFF 1.0 (Web Open Font Format) addresses that limitation by making it easy to use fonts thatare automatically downloaded through style sheets, while keeping the size of the downloaded fonts limited to what is actuallyneeded to render the interface. The upcoming WOFF 2.0 update to that format promises 25%-smaller download sizes, reducingthe time needed to download and display these fonts.
Another important aspect in graphics-intensive applications (e.g. games) is the possibility to use the entire screen to display thesaid graphics; the Fullscreen API lets a Web application requests and detects full screen display.
Likewise, in these scenarios, it is often useful to be able to lock the orientation of the screen; the Screen Orientation APIallows not only to detect orientation change, but also to lock the orientation in a specific state.
NB: a 3D graphic API for HTML5 canvas, called WebGL, has been developed outside of W3C, as part of the Khronos Group;this API has been built to be compatible with OpenGL ES, i.e. for embedded systems, and is intended to work on mobile devices.
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Feature Specification Working Group Maturity StabilityLatest editorsdraft
Currentimplementations
Developers doc Test suite
Scalable VectorGraphics (SVG) 1.1Specification
SVG Rec FinishedNew version ofSVG (SVG 2.0) inpreparation
Widely deployed
3.2+
7.0+ 9.0+ 24.0+
3.0+ 12.1+ 29.0+
High coverage
2D VectorGraphics
Scalable VectorGraphics (SVG) 2
SVG WD Early draft
Last updatedJanuary 2014
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
N/A
X
X X X
X X X
N/A
2D ProgrammaticAPI
HTML Canvas 2DContext
HTML CR Stable
Last updatedJanuary 2014
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Widely deployed
3.2+
7.0+ 9.0+ 24.0+
3.0+ 12.1+ 29.0+
Good coverage
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Feature Specification Working Group Maturity StabilityLatest editorsdraft
Currentimplementations
Developers doc Test suite
HTML 5.1 HTML WD Early draft
Last updatedJanuary 2014
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
None
?
? ? ?
? ? ?
None
Rounded Corners
CSS Backgroundsand BordersModule Level 3
CSS CR Mostly finished
Last updatedJanuary 2014
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Well deployed
6.0+
10.0+ 11.0+ 24.0+
4.4+ 11.0+ 29.0+
Good coverage
Complexbackgroundimages
CSS Backgroundsand BordersModule Level 3
CSS CR Mostly finished
Last updatedJanuary 2014
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Well deployed
6.0+
10.0+ 11.0+ 24.0+
4.4+ 11.0+ 29.0+
Good coverage
Box shadow effects
CSS Backgroundsand BordersModule Level 3
CSS CR Mostly finished
Last updatedJanuary 2014
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Well deployed
6.0+
10.0+ 11.0+ 24.0+
4.4+ 11.0+ 29.0+
Good coverage
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Feature Specification Working Group Maturity StabilityLatest editorsdraft
Currentimplementations
Developers doc Test suite
2D Effects
CSS TransformsModule Level 1
SVG andCSS
WD Mostly stable
Last updatedJanuary 2014
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Well deployed
3.2+
7.0+ 9.0+ 24.0+
2.1+ 12.1+ 29.0+
Good coverage
3D Effects
CSS TransformsModule Level 1
SVG andCSS
WD Stabilizing
Last updatedJanuary 2014
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Well deployed
3.2+
7.0+ 10.0+ 24.0+
3.0+ X 29.0+
Good coverage
CSS Animations
CSS WD Early draft
Last updatedJanuary 2014
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Well deployed
3.2+
7.0+ 10.0+ 24.0+
4.0+ 12.1+ 29.0+
CSS Transitions
CSS WD Early draft
Last updatedJanuary 2014
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Well deployed
3.2+
7.0+ 10.0+ 24.0+
2.1+ 12.1+ 29.0+Animations
Web Animations1.0
SVG andCSS
WD Early draft
Last updatedJanuary 2014
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
None
?
? ? ?
? ? ?
None
None
None
STANDARDS FOR WEB APPLICATIONS ON MOBILE 1. GRAPHICS
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Feature Specification Working Group Maturity StabilityLatest editorsdraft
Currentimplementations
Developers doc Test suite
Timing control forscript-basedanimations
Web Performance CR Stable
Last updatedOctober 2013
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Well deployed
6.0+
10.0+ 10.0+ 24.0+
4.4+ X 29.0+
Well started
Complex layouts
CSS Flexible BoxLayout Module
CSS CR Mostly finished
Last updatedJanuary 2014
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Well deployed
7.0+
10.0+ 11.0+ 24.0+
4.4+ 12.1+ 29.0+
Well started
WOFF File Format1.0
WebFonts Rec Finished Finished
Good deployment
5.0+
7.0+ 9.0+ 24.0+
4.4+ 12.1+ 29.0+
Good coverage
Downloadablefonts
WOFF 2 WebFonts N/A Not startedWOFF2Requirements
None
X
X X X
X X X
N/A
Fullscreen display
Fullscreen
CSS andWeb Applications
WD Early draft
Last updatedOctober 2012
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Limited
X
10.0+ 11.0+ 24.0+
X X 29.0+
None
STANDARDS FOR WEB APPLICATIONS ON MOBILE 1. GRAPHICS
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Feature Specification Working Group Maturity StabilityLatest editorsdraft
Currentimplementations
Developers doc Test suite
Orientation Lock
The ScreenOrientation API
Web Applications WD Early draft
Last updatedNovember 2013
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Very limited
?
? ? 14+
? ? ?
None
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2. Multimedia
HTML5 adds two tags that dramatically improve the integration of multimedia content on the Web: the <video> and<audio> tags. Respectively, these tags allow embedding video and audio content, and make it possible for Web developers tointeract much more freely with that content than they would through plug-ins. They make multimedia content first-class citizensof the Web, the same way images have been for the past 20 years.
The playback content can be augmented and completed via Media Source Extensions that lets developers generate media contentin JavaScript.
To cater for the needs of some content providers, a proposal to enable playback of protected content, Encrypted MediaExtensions is an API that is under consideration in the HTML Working Group.
The Pick Media Intent offers a Web-intent based approach to search and retrieve locally or remotely stored media content,while the Network Service Discovery API opens the door for integrating DLNA-hosted content into Web applications.
While the new HTML5 tags allow to play multimedia content, the HTML Media Capture defines a markup-based mechanismto access captured multimedia content using attached camera and microphones, a very common feature on mobile devices.The Web Real-Time Communications Working Group and the Device APIs Working Group are building together an API(getUserMedia) to directly manipulate streams from camera and microphones, as well as an API to record these streamsinto files, and another API to use access to cameras to take photos programatically.
Beyond capturing and recording, two additional APIs add multimedia manipulation capabilities to the Web platform. We havealready mentioned the Canvas 2D Context API: it enables modifying images, which in turn opens up the possibility of videoediting.
In a similar vein, the Audio Working Group is working on an API that that makes it possible to modify audio content, as well asanalyze, modify and synthesize sounds, the Web Audio API.
The combination of all these features marks the starting point of the Web as a comprehensive platform for multimedia, both forconsuming and producing. The rising interest around bridging the Web and TV worlds (manifested through the W3C Web andTV Interest Group) should strengthen that trend in the coming months. Mobile devices are expected to take a growing role inmany users TV experience, providing a “second screen” experience, where users can find more information on or interact witha TV program they're watching via their mobile devices.
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Feature Specification Working Group Maturity StabilityLatest editorsdraft
Currentimplementations
Developers doc Test suite
Video playback
HTML5
HTML CR Stable
Last updatedJanuary 2014
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Good deployment
3.2+
7.0+ 9.0+ 24.0+
2.3+ 12.1+ 29.0+
Audio playback
HTML5
HTML CR Stable
Last updatedJanuary 2014
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Good deployment
3.2+
7.0+ 9.0+ 24.0+
2.3+ 12.1+ 29.0+
Generation ofmedia content
Media SourceExtensions
HTML CR Stable
Last updatedDecember 2013
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Limited
?
? 11+ 25+
? ? 23+
None
Well started
Started
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Feature Specification Working Group Maturity StabilityLatest editorsdraft
Currentimplementations
Developers doc Test suite
Protected contentplayback
Encrypted MediaExtensions
HTML WD Early draft
Last updatedJanuary 2014
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Very limited
X
X 11+ X
X X X
None
Pick Media Intent Device APIs Retired
Early Web-intentsbased approach;stalled due to lackof progress on WebIntents
Last updated May2013
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
None
X
X X X
X X X
N/A
MultimediaGallery access
Network ServiceDiscovery
Device APIs WD Early draft
Last updatedOctober 2013
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
None
X
X X X
X X X
None
HTML MediaCapture
Device APIs CR Stable
Last updated May2013
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Growingdeployment
6.0+
10+ X 9+
3.0+ X 18+
Media Capture andStreams
Device APIs andWeb Real-TimeCommunications
WD Stabilizing
Last updatedJanuary 2014
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Limited butgrowing
X
10.0+ X 24.0+
X 12.1+ 29.0+
Capturing audio/video
MediaStreamRecording
Device APIs andWeb Real-TimeCommunications
WD Early draft
Last updatedNovember 2013
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
None
X
X X X
X X X
None
started
well started
STANDARDS FOR WEB APPLICATIONS ON MOBILE 2. MULTIMEDIA
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Feature Specification Working Group Maturity StabilityLatest editorsdraft
Currentimplementations
Developers doc Test suite
Mediastream ImageCapture
Device APIs andWeb Real-TimeCommunications
WD Early draft
Last updated July2013
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
None
X
X X X
X X X
None
Image & Videoanalysis,modification
HTML Canvas 2DContext
HTML CR Stable
Last updatedJanuary 2014
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Widely deployed
3.2+
7.0+ 9.0+ 24.0+
3.0+ 12.1+ 29.0+
Audio analysis,modification
Web Audio API Audio WD Starting to stabilize
Last updatedOctober 2013
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Growing
6.0+
X X 24.0+
X X 29.0+
Good coverage
Started
STANDARDS FOR WEB APPLICATIONS ON MOBILE 2. MULTIMEDIA
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3. Device Adaptation
Mobile devices not only differ widely from traditional computers, but they also have a lot of variations among themselves, interm of screen size, resolution, type of keyboard, media recording capabilities, etc.
The Device Description Repository API is a unified server-side API that allows Web developers to retrieve data on the devicesthat are accessing their pages on a variety of device information database.
The Media Capture Streams API exposes some specific information on capabilities of camera and microphones to make itpossible to take advantage of the large variety of media capturing devices provided on mobile phones.
CSS Media Queries offer a mechanism that allows adapting the layout and behavior of a Web page based on some of thecharacteristics of the device, including the screen resolution — to which Media Queries Level 4 proposes to add the availabilityand type of a pointing device, the ability to hover over elements, and the ambient luminosity. CSS Device Adaptation defines aset of CSS directives to define the size on which this layout should be based, relatively to the size of the underlying device —specifying what has been implemented using the <meta name="viewport"> element so far.
The Responsive Images Community Group (RICG) is currently working on an extension to HTML, known as the pictureelement, that allows authors define what image to load depending on device capabilities and/or other media features. The RICGpublishes a use cases and requirements document that fully describes the problem.
As a complementary approach, the srcset attribute, specified by the WHATWG and also published as an extension to HTML,let Web developers define the various device pixel ratios of an image, letting the browser pick the best choice for the pixeldensity of the screen. As of January 2014, there is general agreement amongst browser vendors to implement both pictureand srcset.
Some work was also undertaken into a new responsive images proposal called "srcN". However, that approach was rejected bythe community and by browser vendors. It did, however, serve as a catalyst for unifying picture and srcset.
STANDARDS FOR WEB APPLICATIONS ON MOBILE 3. DEVICE ADAPTATION
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Feature Specification Working Group Maturity StabilityLatest editorsdraft
Currentimplementations
Developers doc Test suite
Device informationDevice DescriptionRepository SimpleAPI
Device Description Rec finished N/A Limited
Good Coverage
Media CaptureCapabilities
Media Capture andStreams
Device APIs andWeb Real-TimeCommunications
WD Early draft
Last updatedJanuary 2014
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
None
X
X X X
X X X
None
Media Queries
CSS Rec Finished Finished
Widely deployed
3.2+
7.0+ 9.0+ 24.0+
2.1+ 12.1+ 29.0+
Good coverage
Media QueriesLevel 4
CSS Editors Early draft
Last updatedJanuary 2014
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
None
?
? ? ?
? ? ?
None
CSS-basedadaptation
CSS DeviceAdaptation
CSS WD Early draft
Last updatedOctober 2013
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Very limited
X
X 10+ X
X 11.1+ X
N/A
STANDARDS FOR WEB APPLICATIONS ON MOBILE 3. DEVICE ADAPTATION
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Feature Specification Working Group Maturity StabilityLatest editorsdraft
Currentimplementations
Developers doc Test suite
The picture element
HTML WD First draft
Last updatedJanuary 2014
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
None
X
X X X
X X X
N/A
Responsive imagesThe srcset attribute
HTML WD First draft
Last updated May2013
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
None
X
X X X
X X X
None
STANDARDS FOR WEB APPLICATIONS ON MOBILE 3. DEVICE ADAPTATION
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4. Forms
The ability to build rich forms with HTML is the basis for user input in most Web-based applications. Due to their limitedkeyboards, text input on mobile devices remains a difficult task for most users; HTML5 address parts of this problem by offeringnew type of form controls that optimize the way users will enter data:
• date and time entries can take advantage of a number of dedicated form controls (e.g. <input type="date">) wherethe user can use a native calendar control;
• the <input type="email">, <input type="tel"> and <input type="url"> can be used to optimizethe ways user enter these often-difficult to type data, e.g. through dedicated virtual keyboards, or by accessing on-devicerecords for these data (from the address book, bookmarks, etc.);
• the inputmode attribute (proposed in HTML 5.1) defines the type of textual input expected in a text entry;• the pattern attribute allows both to guide user input as well as to avoid server-side validation (which requires a network
round-trip) or JavaScript-based validation (which takes up more resources);• the placeholder attribute allows to guide user input by inserting hints as to what type of content is expected in a text-
entry control;• the <datalist> element allows creating free-text input controls coming with pre-defined values the user can select
from; HTML 5.1 defines a mechanism for the autocomplete attribute to automatically fill input fields based on well-known data for the user.
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Feature Specification Working Group Maturity StabilityLatest editorsdraft
Currentimplementations
Developers doc Test suite
Date and timeentries
HTML5
HTML CR
Mostly stable, butfeature marked atrisk
Last updatedJanuary 2014
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Growing
5.0+
10.0+ X X
4.4+ 10.0+ 29.0+
Customized textentries (tel, email,url)
HTML5
HTML CR Stable
Last updatedJanuary 2014
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Well deployed
5+
4.7.1+ 10+ 4+
3+ 11+ 18+
Just started
Just started
STANDARDS FOR WEB APPLICATIONS ON MOBILE 4. FORMS
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Feature Specification Working Group Maturity StabilityLatest editorsdraft
Currentimplementations
Developers doc Test suite
Input modality HTML 5.1 HTML WD Early draft
Last updatedJanuary 2014
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
None
?
? ? ?
? ? ?
Input pattern
HTML5
HTML CR Stable
Last updatedJanuary 2014
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Limited butgrowing
X
4.7.1+ X 4+
X 11+ 18+
None
Just started
STANDARDS FOR WEB APPLICATIONS ON MOBILE 4. FORMS
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Feature Specification Working Group Maturity StabilityLatest editorsdraft
Currentimplementations
Developers doc Test suite
Input hint
HTML5
HTML CR Stable
Last updatedJanuary 2014
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Well deployed
3.2+
7.0+ 10.0+ 24.0+
2.1+ 12.1+ 29.0+
Autocomplete fortext entries
HTML5
HTML CR Stable
Last updatedJanuary 2014
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Limited
X
10.0+ 10.0+ 24.0+
X 10.0+ ?
Started
None
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Feature Specification Working Group Maturity StabilityLatest editorsdraft
Currentimplementations
Developers doc Test suite
HTML 5.1 HTML WD Early draft
Last updatedJanuary 2014
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
None
?
? ? ?
? ? ?
None
STANDARDS FOR WEB APPLICATIONS ON MOBILE 4. FORMS
21/45
5. User interactions
An increasing share of mobile devices relies on touch-based interactions. While the traditional interactions recognized in theWeb platform (keyboard, mouse input) can still be applied in this context, a more specific handling of touch-based input is acritical aspect of creating well-adapted user experiences, which Touch Events in the DOM (Document Object Model) enable.The work on that specification is now nearly finished.
Meanwhile, the Pointer Events Working Group has made good progress on an alternative approach to handle user input, PointerEvents, that allows to handle mouse, touch and pen events under a single model. This new approach is expected to replace thecurrently more widely deployed Touch Events.
As more and more content gets rendered as long scrollable lists, more and more logic is attached to scrolling events, and thequality of the user experience of these actions is highly dependent on their performances. The CSSOM View Module determineswhen scrolling events get fired, and let developers specify the type of scrolling behavior they want.
Many mobile devices use on-screen keyboards to let users type; the Input Method Editor (IME) API makes it possible tocoordinate the interactions between that on-screen keyboard and Web applications.
Conversely, many mobile devices use haptic feedback (such as vibration) to create new form of interactions (e.g. in games);work on a vibration API in the Device APIs Working Group is making good progress.
But as the Web reaches new devices, and as devices gain new user interactions mechanisms, it also becomes important toallow Web developers to react to a more abstract set of user interactions: instead of having to work in terms of “click”, “keypress”, or “touch event”, being able to react to an “undo” command, or a “next page” command independently of how the userinstructed it to the device will prove beneficial to the development of device-independent Web applications. The IndieUI Eventsspecification, developed by the Indie UI Working Group, aims at addressing this need.
Mobile devices follow their users everywhere, and many mobile users rely on them to remind them or notify them of events,such as messages: the Web Notifications specification proposes to add that feature to the Web environment.
Mobile devices, and mobile phones in particular, are also in many cases well-suited to be used through voice-interactions; theSpeech API Community Group is exploring the opportunity of starting standardization work around a JavaScript API thatwould make it possible for users to interact with a Web page through spoken commands.
The hardware constraints of mobile devices, and their different usage context can make mobile users experience similar barriersto people with disabilities. These similarities in barriers mean that similar solutions can be used to cater for them, making a Website accessible both for people with disabilities and mobile devices a natural goal (as detailed in Relationship between MobileWeb Best Practices and WCAG).
How Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and User Agent Accessibility Guidelines (UAAG) provide guidance onmobile accessibility — that is, making websites and applications more accessible to people with disabilities when they are usingmobile phones and a broad range of other devices — is discussed in Mobile Accessibility.
WAI-ARIA provides semantic information on widgets, structures and behaviors hooks to make Web applications moreaccessible, including on mobile devices.
STANDARDS FOR WEB APPLICATIONS ON MOBILE 5. USER INTERACTIONS
22/45
Feature Specification Working Group Maturity StabilityLatest editorsdraft
Currentimplementations
Developers doc Test suite
Touch Events
Web Events Rec Finished
Last updatedOctober 2013
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Largely deployed
3.2+
7.0+ X 24.0+
2.1+ 12.1+ 29.0+
Complete
Touch-basedinteractions
Pointer Events
Pointer Events CR Stable
Last updatedJanuary 2014
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Limited deployment
X
X 11.0+ X
X X X
Smooth scrolling
CSSOM ViewModule
CSS WD Still changing
Last updatedJanuary 2014
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
None
X
X X X
X X X
N/A
On-screenkeyboardinteractions
Input MethodEditor API
Web Applications WD Still changing
Last updatedDecember 2013
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
None
X
X X X
X X X
N/A
Vibration Vibration API Device APIs CR Mostly stable
Last updatedOctober 2013
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Limited butgrowing
X
10+ X 11+
X X 32+
Just started
Started
STANDARDS FOR WEB APPLICATIONS ON MOBILE 5. USER INTERACTIONS
23/45
Feature Specification Working Group Maturity StabilityLatest editorsdraft
Currentimplementations
Developers doc Test suite
Intent-basedevents
IndieUI: Events 1.0Independent UserInterface (Indie UI)
WD Early draft
Last updatedDecember 2013
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
None
None
Notification Web Notifications Web Notification LCWD Stabilizing
Last updatedAugust 2013
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Growingdeployment
X
10.0+ X 24.0+
4.4+ X X
Speech-basedinteractions
Web Speech APISpeech APICommunity Group
N/A N/A
Last updatedJanuary 2013
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Limited butgrowing
7.0+
X X X
X ? 32+
N/A
Relationshipbetween MobileWeb Best Practices(MWBP) and WebContentAccessibilityGuidelines(WCAG)
Education andOutreach andMobile Web BestPractices
NOTE Finished N/A N/A
N/A
Accessibility
Accessible RichInternetApplications (WAI-ARIA) 1.0
Protocols andFormats
CR StableLast updatedJanuary 2014
Well deployed
3.2+
X 8.0+ 24.0+
4.4+ 12.1+ 29.0+
Well started
None
STANDARDS FOR WEB APPLICATIONS ON MOBILE 5. USER INTERACTIONS
24/45
6. Data storage
A critical component of many applications is the ability to save state, export content, as well as integrate data from other filesand services on the system.
For simple data storage, the Web Storage specification offers two basic mechanisms, localStorage andsessionStorage, that can preserve data respectively indefinitely, or on a browser-session basis.
For richer interactions, the Web platform has a growing number of APIs to interact with a device filesystem: the File ReaderAPI makes it possible to load the content of a file, the File Writer API allows saving or modifying a file, while the nascentFileSystems API give access to more general file operations, including directory management. Discussions have started onwhether these two latter APIs would better be implemented on top of IndexedDB, and a proposal for a new sandboxed filesystemAPI has been brought forward.
On top of this file-based access, the Indexed Database API (IndexedDB) defines a database of values and hierarchical objectsthat integrates naturally with JavaScript, and can be queried and updated very efficiently. Note that the work around a client-sideSQL-based database, which had been started in 2009, has been abandoned in favor of this new system.
As more and more data need to be stored by the browser (e.g. for offline usage), it becomes critical for developers to get reliablestorage space, which the proposed Quota Management API will offer to Web applications.
Likewise, as some of this data need to be encrypted, the emerging Web Cryptography API from the Web CryptographyWorking Group exposes strong cryptography primitives to Web applications, and can be bound to pre-provisioned keys via theWebCrypto Key Discovery API.
STANDARDS FOR WEB APPLICATIONS ON MOBILE 6. DATA STORAGE
25/45
Feature Specification Working Group Maturity StabilityLatest editorsdraft
Currentimplementations
Developers doc Test suite
Simple datastorage
Web Storage
Web Applications Rec Finished
Last updatedJanuary 2014
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Well deployed
3.2+
7.0+ 8.0+ 24.0+
2.1+ 12.1+ 29.0+
File API
Web Applications LCWD Stabilizing
Last updatedJanuary 2014
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Getting welldeployed
6.0+
10.0+ 10.0+ 24.0+
3.0+ 12.1+ 29.0+
File API: Writer Web Applications WD Early draft, unsurefuture
Last updatedJanuary 2013
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Limited butgrowing
X
10.0+ X X
X X 29.0+
None
File API:Directories andSystem
Web Applications WD Early draft, unsurefuture
Last updatedJanuary 2013
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Limited butgrowing
X
10.0+ X X
X X 29.0+
NoneFile operations
FileSystem API Web Applications N/A Early proposal
Last updatedSeptember 2013
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
N/A
None
Complete
Started
STANDARDS FOR WEB APPLICATIONS ON MOBILE 6. DATA STORAGE
26/45
Feature Specification Working Group Maturity StabilityLatest editorsdraft
Currentimplementations
Developers doc Test suite
Indexed DatabaseAPI
Web Applications CR Stable
Last updatedDecember 2013
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Growing
X
10.0+ 10.0+ 24.0+
4.4+ X 29.0+
Database query/update
Web SQL Database Web Applications Retired Abandoned N/A
Somewhatdeployed, but won’tbe further deployed
3.2+
7.0+ X X
2.1+ 12.1+ 29.0+
N/A
Quota for storage
Quota ManagementAPI
Web Applications WD Early work
Last updatedNovember 2013
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Very limited
X
X X X
X X 18+
None
Encrypted storageWeb CryptographyAPI
Web Cryptography WD Early work
Last updatedJanuary 2014
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Limited
X
X X 19+
X X 25+
Good coverage
None
STANDARDS FOR WEB APPLICATIONS ON MOBILE 6. DATA STORAGE
27/45
Feature Specification Working Group Maturity StabilityLatest editorsdraft
Currentimplementations
Developers doc Test suite
WebCrypto KeyDiscovery
Web Cryptography WD Early work
Last updatedAugust 2013
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
None
X
X X X
X X X
None
STANDARDS FOR WEB APPLICATIONS ON MOBILE 6. DATA STORAGE
28/45
7. Personal Information Management
Applications can benefit from integrating with their users’ existing data records; on mobile devices, the address book andcalendar are particularly useful source of information.
The Contacts API was developed on top of a Web-intents approach for accessing the addressbook from within the Web browser,but given the lack of progress behind Web Intents, has now been abandoned.
For Web apps outside of the browser, a purely programmatic approach is part of the System Applications Working Group, withwork on a Contacts Manager API in progress.
A Web-Intent based Calendar API for in-browser apps was also under development, but has now been abandoned as well.
STANDARDS FOR WEB APPLICATIONS ON MOBILE 7. PERSONAL INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
29/45
Feature Specification Working Group Maturity StabilityLatest editorsdraft
Currentimplementations
Developers doc Test suite
Pick Contacts Intent Device APIs Retired
Early Web-intentsbased approach;stalled due to lackof progress on WebIntents
Last updatedAugust 2011
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
None
X
X X X
X X X
Early draft based onprevious API
Addressbook data
Contacts ManagerAPI
SystemApplications
WD Early draft
Last updatedAugust 2013
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
None
?
? ? ?
? ? ?
None
Calendar data Calendar API Device APIs Retired Abandonned
Last updatedOctober 2012
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
None
X
X X X
X X X
None
STANDARDS FOR WEB APPLICATIONS ON MOBILE 7. PERSONAL INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
30/45
8. Sensors and hardware integration
Mobile devices are packed with sensors, making them a great bridge between the real and virtual worlds: GPS, accelerometer,ambient light detector, microphone, camera, thermometer, etc.
To take full advantage of these sensors in mobile Web applications, Web developers need to be provided with hooks to interactwith them.
The Geolocation API provides a common interface for locating the device, independently of the underlying technology (GPS,WIFI networks identification, triangulation in cellular networks, etc.). Work towards a new version of the API that wouldinclude geofencing is under consideration.
Web applications can also now access orientation and acceleration data via the DeviceOrientation Event Specification.
A number of APIs for other sensors are under development: the Battery Status API, the Proximity Events API, the Ambient LightEvents API or the proposed Ambient Humidity Events API.
As already mentioned in the section on multimedia (page 10), there is ongoing work on APIs to open up access to camera andmicrophone streams.
The opportunity for Web applications to use Near-Field Communications (NFC) mechanisms have led to the chartering of theNFC Working Group to develop a Web NFC API.
A more global access to sensors and hardware (including USB and bluetooth) is in scope for the System Applications WorkingGroup.
STANDARDS FOR WEB APPLICATIONS ON MOBILE 8. SENSORS AND HARDWARE INTEGRATION
31/45
Feature Specification Working Group Maturity StabilityLatest editorsdraft
Currentimplementations
Developers doc Test suite
Geolocation
Geolocation APISpecification
Geolocation Rec Mostly finished
Last updatedSeptember 2013
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Widely deployed
3.2+
7.0+ 9.0+ 24.0+
2.1+ 12.1+ 29.0+
Good coverage
Motion sensors
DeviceOrientationEvent Specification
Geolocation LCWD Stabilizing, but withplanned updates
Last updated June2012
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Well deployed
4.2+
10.0+ 11.0+ 24.0+
3.0+ 12.0+ 29.0+
Started
Battery Status Battery Status API Device APIs CR Stable
Last updated April2013
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Very limited
X
X X 10+
X X X
Proximity sensors Proximity Events Device APIs CR Stable
Last updatedSeptember 2013
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Very limited
X
X X 15+
X X X
Good coverage
Started
STANDARDS FOR WEB APPLICATIONS ON MOBILE 8. SENSORS AND HARDWARE INTEGRATION
32/45
Feature Specification Working Group Maturity StabilityLatest editorsdraft
Currentimplementations
Developers doc Test suite
Ambient Lightsensor
Ambient LightEvents
Device APIs CR Stable
Last updatedSeptember 2013
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Very limited
X
X X 22+
X X X
Humidity sensorAmbient HumidityEvents
Device APIs N/A Unofficial draft
Last updatedOctober 2013
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
None
X
X X X
X X X
N/A
Camera &Microphonestreams
Media Capture andStreams
Device APIs andWeb Real-TimeCommunications
WD Stabilizing
Last updatedJanuary 2014
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Limited butgrowing
X
10.0+ X 24.0+
X 12.1+ 29.0+
NFC Web NFC APINear FieldCommunications
WD Very early draft
Last updatedDecember 2013
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
None
X
X X X
X X X
None
Started
well started
STANDARDS FOR WEB APPLICATIONS ON MOBILE 8. SENSORS AND HARDWARE INTEGRATION
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9. Network
Network connectivity represents a major asset for mobile devices: the Web is an immense store of content, as well as an almostendless source of processing power, overcoming two of the limitations of mobile devices.
The Web platform is growing a number of APIs that facilitate establishing network connectivity in different contexts.
XMLHttpRequest (the basis for Ajax development) is a widely deployed API to load content from Web servers using the HTTPand HTTPs protocol: the W3C specification (formerly known as XMLHttpRequest Level 2) completes the existing deployedAPI with the ability to make requests on servers in a different domain, programmatic feedback on the progress of the networkoperations, and more efficient handling of binary content.
The recently started Beacon API would let developers queue unsupervised HTTP requests, leaving it to the browser to executethem when appropriate, opening the door for better network optimizations.
By default, browsers do not allow to make request across different domains (or more specifically, across different origins, acombination of the protocol, domain and port) from a single Web page; this rule protects the user from having a Web site abusingtheir credentials and stealing their data on another Web site. Sites can opt-out of that rule by making use of the Cross-OriginResource Sharing mechanism, opening up much wider cooperation across Web applications and services.
XMLHttpRequest is useful for client-initiated network requests, but mobile devices with their limited network capabilities andthe cost that network requests induce on their battery (and sometimes on their users bill) can often make better use of server-initiated requests. The Server-Sent Events API allows triggering DOM events based on push notifications (via HTTP and otherprotocols.)
Early work on a Push API would allow Web applications to receive server-sent messages whether or not the said Web appis active in a browser window. As patents had been disclosed on that API, a Patent Advisory Group was formed to assess thesituation and concluded that the disclosed patents did not read on the specification.
The WebSocket API, built on top of the IETF WebSocket protocol, offers a bidirectional, more flexible, and less resourceintensive network connectivity than XMLHttpRequest.
The work on Web Real-Time Communications will also provide direct peer-to-peer data connections between browsers withreal-time characteristics, opening the way to collaborative multi-devices Web applications.
Of course, an important part of using network connectivity relies on being able to determine if such connectivity exists, and thetype of network available. The HTML5 onLine DOM flag (and its associated change event, ononline) signals when networkconnectivity is available to the Web environment.
The network-information API addresses discovery of the network characteristics — the granularity of these characteristics(type of connectivity, or estimated bandwidth, or …) is under intense discussion. The Resource Timing API offers to measureprecisely the impact of the network on the time needed to load various resources, offering another approach to adapt a Web appto its network environment.
STANDARDS FOR WEB APPLICATIONS ON MOBILE 9. NETWORK
34/45
Feature Specification Working Group Maturity StabilityLatest editorsdraft
Currentimplementations
Developers doc Test suite
XMLHttpRequestLevel 1
Web Applications WD stabilizing
Last updatedNovember 2013
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Very broad forbasic features,growing for mostrecent ones
5.0+
7.0+ 10.0+ 24.0+
3.0+ 12.1+ 29.0+
HTTP(s) networkAPI
Beacon Web Performance WD Early draft
Last updatedJanuary 2014
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
None
X
X X X
X X X
N/A
Cross-domainrequests
Cross-OriginResource Sharing
Web ApplicationsandWeb ApplicationSecurity
Rec Stable
Last updated June2012
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Getting well-deployed
3.2+
7.0+ 10.0+ 24.0+
2.1+ 12.1+ 29.0+
Server-Sent Events Web Applications CR Stable
Last updatedJanuary 2014
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Getting well-deployed
4.0+
7.0+ X 24.0+
4.4+ 12.1+ 29.0+
Server-pushedrequests
Push API Web Applications WD
Early draft; willlikely evolve tointegrate withService Workers
Last updated July2013
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
None
X
X X X
X X X
N/A
Well started
Well started
Good coverage
STANDARDS FOR WEB APPLICATIONS ON MOBILE 9. NETWORK
35/45
Feature Specification Working Group Maturity StabilityLatest editorsdraft
Currentimplementations
Developers doc Test suite
Bidirectionalconnections
The WebSocketAPI
Web Applications CR Stable
Last updatedJanuary 2014
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Good deployment
6.0+
7.0+ 10.0+ 24.0+
4.4+ 12.1+ 29.0+
P2P dataconnections
WebRTC 1.0: Real-timeCommunicationBetween Browsers
Web Real-TimeCommunications
WD Early draft
Last updatedJanuary 2014
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Limited butgrowing
X
X X 24.0+
X X 29.0+
None
The NetworkInformation API
Device APIs WD Early draft, underactive revision
Last updatedNovember 2012
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Very limited
X
10+ X 10+
2.2+ X X
None
Networkcharacteristics
Resource Timing Web Performance CR Stable
Last updatedDecember 2013
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Very limited
X
X 10+ X
X X 26+
Early start
Well started
STANDARDS FOR WEB APPLICATIONS ON MOBILE 9. NETWORK
36/45
10. Communication and Discovery
Beyond connection to on-line services, allowing communications between users, but also between devices and betweenapplications is an important aspect of a good mobile development platform. To communicate with unknown devices or pre-existing services, a discovery component is critical.
For Web apps not in a browser, the System Applications Working Group is working on a complete Messaging API.
The postMessage API of HTML5 Web Messaging allows for Web Applications to communicate between each other.
A joint task force of the Device APIs and Web Apps Working Groups had been looking at a mechanism called Web Intents:it aimed at closer integration of Web applications, as well as of Web applications with native applications. Some of the initialuse cases for Web Intents have proved hard to expose through the regular Web browser UI, and thus the work has now beenabandoned.
The Network Service Discovery API offers to discover services on the local network (such as the ones offered via DLNA),enabling mobile Web applications to integrate seamlessly with these services.
The Web Real-Time Communications Working Group is the host of specifications for a wider set of communicationopportunities:
• Peer-to-peer connection across devices,• P2P Audio and video streams allowing for real-time communications between users.
STANDARDS FOR WEB APPLICATIONS ON MOBILE 10. COMMUNICATION AND DISCOVERY
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Feature Specification Working Group Maturity StabilityLatest editorsdraft
Currentimplementations
Developers doc Test suite
Emails, SMS andMMS
Messaging APISystemApplications
WD First draft
Last updatedNovember 2013
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
None
?
? ? ?
? ? ?
None
HTML5 WebMessaging
Web Applications CR Stable
Last updatedJanuary 2014
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Well deployed
3.2+
7.0+ 11.0+ 24.0+
2.1+ 12.1+ 29.0+
Inter-appcommunications
Web IntentsWeb ApplicationsandDevice APIs
RetiredEarly draft;abandoned
Last updated May2013
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Experimental
X
X X X
X X X
None
Network servicesdiscovery
Network ServiceDiscovery
Device APIs WD Early draft
Last updatedOctober 2013
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
None
X
X X X
X X X
None
P2P connectionsand audio/videostreams
WebRTC 1.0: Real-timeCommunicationBetween Browsers
Web Real-TimeCommunications
WD Early draft
Last updatedJanuary 2014
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Limited butgrowing
X
X X 24.0+
X X 29.0+
None
Good coverage
STANDARDS FOR WEB APPLICATIONS ON MOBILE 10. COMMUNICATION AND DISCOVERY
38/45
11. Packaging
An important aspect of the user experience of applications is linked to how the user perceives the said application is availablepermanently (even when off-line, which is particularly important on mobile devices), as well as how it can be shared anddistributed, typically through purchases via applications stores — this is adequately addressed by packaging the application.
The Web platform offers two complementary approaches to packaging Web applications:
• HTML5’s ApplicationCache enables access to Web applications off-line through the definition of a manifest of filesthat the browser is expected to keep in its cache; while relatively well deployed, the current approach has shown somestrong limitations and the HTML and Web Applications Working Groups are considering a potentially major overhaul ofthe technology, likely based on ServiceWorker
• a JSON-based manifest format in development by the the Web Apps Working Group. The System Applications WorkingGroup was building a runtime and security model on top of that packaging, but is now instead defining an applicationlifecycle specification based on top of Service Workers.
STANDARDS FOR WEB APPLICATIONS ON MOBILE 11. PACKAGING
39/45
Feature Specification Working Group Maturity StabilityLatest editorsdraft
Currentimplementations
Developers doc Test suite
HTML5
HTML CR
Feature at risk(Possibly majoroverhaul underconsideration)
Last updatedJanuary 2014
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Well deployed
3.2+
7.0+ 10.0+ 24.0+
2.1+ 12.1+ 29.0+
Offline Web apps
Service Workers
Web Applications N/A Early draft
Last updatedJanuary 2014
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
None
X
X X X
X X X
None
Packaged WebApp
Manifest for webapps andbookmarks
Web Applications WD Early draft
Last updatedJanuary 2014
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
N/A
X
X X X
X X X
N/A
None
STANDARDS FOR WEB APPLICATIONS ON MOBILE 11. PACKAGING
40/45
Feature Specification Working Group Maturity StabilityLatest editorsdraft
Currentimplementations
Developers doc Test suite
Runtime andSecurity Model forWeb Applications
SystemApplications
WD
Early draft, willlikely be replacedby a differentapproach
Last updatedSeptember 2013
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
N/A
?
? ? ?
? ? ?
N/A
ApplicationLifecycle andEvents
SystemApplications
N/A Early draft
Last updatedJanuary 2014
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
N/A
N/A
STANDARDS FOR WEB APPLICATIONS ON MOBILE 11. PACKAGING
41/45
12. Performance & Optimization
Due to their limited CPU, and more importantly to their limited battery, mobile devices require a lot of attention in terms ofperformance.
The work started by the Web Performance Working Group on Navigation Timing, Resource Timing, Performance Timelineand User Timing, gives tools to Web developers for optimizing their Web applications.
Early work on a Resource Priorities specification, part of the Web Performance Working Group new charter, would letdevelopers indicate which network requests should be prioritized.
The proposed work on Efficient Script Yielding offers the opportunity to Web developers to use more efficiently asynchronousprogramming, but has so far gained very limited traction.
The API to determine whether a Web page is being displayed (Page Visibility API) can also be used to adapt the usage ofresources to the need of the Web application, for instance by reducing network activity when the page is minimized. Likewise,the Timing control for script-based animations API can help reduce the usage of resources needed for playing animations.
Beyond optimization of resources, the perceived reactivity of an application is also a critical aspect of the mobile userexperience. The thread-like mechanism made possible via Web Workers allows keeping the user interface responsive byoffloading the most resource-intensive operations into a background process.
The battery API allows adjusting the use of resources to the current level of power available in the battery of a mobile device.
The Mobile Web Application Best Practices provide general advice on how to build Web applications that work well on mobiledevices, taking into account in particular the needs for optimization. The opportunity to update these best practices is underdiscussion in the Web and Mobile Interest Group.
STANDARDS FOR WEB APPLICATIONS ON MOBILE 12. PERFORMANCE & OPTIMIZATION
42/45
Feature Specification Working Group Maturity StabilityLatest editorsdraft
Currentimplementations
Developers doc Test suite
Navigation Timing Web Performance Rec Finished Finished
Growingdeployment
X
10.0+ 9.0+ 24.0+
4.0+ X 29.0+
Resource Timing Web Performance CR Stable
Last updatedDecember 2013
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Very limited
X
X 10+ X
X X 26+
Early start
PerformanceTimeline
Web Performance Rec Finished Finished
Limited
?
? 11+ ?
? ? 30+
Timing hooks
User Timing Web Performance Rec Finished Finished
Limited
?
? 11+ ?
? ? 30+
Networkprioritization
Resource Priorities Web Performance WD Early draft
Last updatedOctober 2013
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Experimental
X
X 11+ X
X X X
None
Priority handlingEfficient ScriptYielding
Web Performance Editors Early draft
Last updated April2013
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Very limited
X
X 10+ X
X X X
None
Good coverage
Started
Well started
STANDARDS FOR WEB APPLICATIONS ON MOBILE 12. PERFORMANCE & OPTIMIZATION
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Feature Specification Working Group Maturity StabilityLatest editorsdraft
Currentimplementations
Developers doc Test suite
Page Visibilitydetection
Page Visibility Web Performance Rec Finished Finished
Well deployed
7.0+
10.0+ 10.0+ 24.0+
4.4+ 12.1+ 29.0+
Animationoptimization
Timing control forscript-basedanimations
Web Performance CR Stable
Last updatedOctober 2013
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Well deployed
6.0+
10.0+ 10.0+ 24.0+
4.4+ X 29.0+
Well started
Threading
Web Workers
Web Applications CR Stable
Last updatedJanuary 2014
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Well deployed
5.0+
7.0+ 10.0+ 24.0+
2.1+ 12.1+ 29.0+
Battery Status Battery Status API Device APIs CR Stable
Last updated April2013
F M A M J J A S O N D J2013 2014
Commits on ed. draft
Very limited
X
X X 10+
X X X
Optimization BestPractices
Mobile WebApplication BestPractices
Mobile Web BestPractices
Rec Finished N/A N/A
N/A
Good coverage
Well started
Good coverage
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Acknowledgments
Thanks to Art Barstow, Anssi Kostiainen, Jo Rabin, Mounir Lamouri and Marcos Caceres for their contributions to thisdocument.
This document is produced through the HTML5Apps project, funded by the European Union through the Seventh FrameworkProgramme (FP7/2013-2015) under grant agreement n°611327 - HTML5 Apps.
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