The 7 Major Roadblocks That Cripple Web Developers and The Internet

As a web developer I periodically take a step back from the text editor and look at the landscape of the web and how we continue to try to push the boundaries of the internet. Over the last few years we've seen a tremendous push with developments in AJAX, JavaScript frameworks (i.e. Prototype, MooTools, Dojo), and the upcoming AIR technology from Adobe. We've also seen the spread of Firefox push Microsoft into resuscitating the Internet Explorer browser (for better or worse), blogging explode into a major internet medium, and social networking sites like Facebook and Pownce revolutionize the way we communicate and "profile" online. Nevertheless, the internet is moving too slow in its advancement. The following are the major roadblocks that have crippled the advancement of a technology that could be so much more.

7. Lack of Support for Mobile Devices

I'm well aware of the "handheld" @media provided by the W3C, but I've not come close to ever using this type of stylesheet. Mobile devices are not prevalent enough for most websites to commit the time to this alternative view. The iPhone will certainly provide the push needed for businesses to invest in handheld support, but it's far too late for us to just be getting around to this.

6. Lack of Free, Accessible High-Speed Internet Access

I've heard the internet referred to as the "information superhighway" and an "evergrowing library," but aren't both of those free and accessible? Internet services, in some form, should be free in advanced countries (I say advanced because some cultures are tending to feeding their people -- or should be). The only faction that would detest this notion is the conglomerate of ISPs that suck any dollar they can from you while providing less than adequate service.

Internet being provided at a high speed is just as important. Long load times are often viewed as poor programming but ISPs providing a sluggish internet connection is the real problem. At last check, the average Japanese internet connection flies at 60+ MB whereas my local carrier provides only a 10MB connection.

5. Flash Websites & Ads

This wont make many people happy but Flash has been more of a detriment to web advancement than anything. Nearly two decades into the internet, the only way to provide quality animation is Flash. Some websites are made entirely out of Flash. "Let's see, you'd like a website that takes 10 seconds to load, shows you 15 animations that have no value to your website or its content, has no search engine value, will take hours to make simple updates, and will cost you thousands more than a function, accessible, and search engine friendly website? Yeah, lets go with Flash." Flash advertisements are just as bad. Animated GIF banners once drew the ire of web users everywhere but the new peeve is an obnoxious flash advertisement that covers half of your screen and hides the "close" link for 3 seconds.

Flash definitely has its place for car websites, shoe websites, and especially Flash video (see Youtube), but Flash websites and advertisements need to go. Flash served as an advancement during the early internet years but AJAX and JavaScript should soon (hopefully) fill that space.

4. Ability To Turn Off JavaScript

Javascript was introduced to the internet far too early. Oh, the "Add To Favorites" JavaScript functionality was a hit. And don't forget those fancy JavaScript alert() boxes for form validation. God forbid I forget to mention popup ads; where would we be without those? Today we have legit reasons to use JavaScript -- so much so that they should be required.

AJAX will only continue to push forward into new, exciting endeavors with the help of Prototype, Mootools, and especially Dojo's work. For all of the advancements we can make using JavaScript as the catalyst, each and everyone one can be disabled by the user when they turn off JavaScript. Your application is open to security risks and dysfunction without JavaScript. Some developers will tell you to code as if JavaScript was off, but that's all but halts advancement and only pushes developers to invest in Flash and Java (oh wait, that can be disabled too...if it's even installed!). The internet should promote interactivity, not static bore.

3. Lack of General Interest & Catering to a Clueless Audience

If I had a dollar for every time I heard someone say "I'm too old to learn the internet," I'd be a millionaire. Even worse is a popular website that refuses to achieve a decent GUI or level of usability. eBay is the poster-child for a website that refuses to advance or evolve to cater to the general population. eBay's control panel is sluggish, tired, and outdated. A company like eBay has the power to push its users towards a higher standard of internet.

I cannot fault anyone for staying away from the internet. Scare tactics including identity theft commercials, anti-virus advertisements, "porn-is-everywhere-and-so-are-predators" messages, and uninformed local news stories are enough to scare an older or ignorant audience. I also concede stories of internet addiction aren't exaggerated and online gambling can cost a family everything.

As a web developer, I dream of being able to build websites and not worry about the technical-skill audience, but rather the audience for which the website is targeted. Don't get me wrong -- I can use AJAX and JavaScript here because I know my audience, but what about the Mom 'n' Pops websites? Maybe Google will start some pro-internet advertisements soon.

2. Browser Inconsistencies & Internet Explorer

One advantage of computerized languages is the presence of standards. Standards provide consistency of implementation that a programmer needs to write safe, effective code. That is unless companies that view standards as options.

Internet Explorer has been at the forefront of ignoring standards. Internet Explorer 5.5 set the low bar, giving birth for the need to numerous hacks including the infamous Tan Hack. Internet Explorer improved slightly on its predecessor but still brought forward a host of problems, including security holes, poor programming leading to sluggish performance, and most notably lack of proper CSS support. What's worse is that the program was left relatively untouched for six years. Internet Explorer 7 fixed a majority of issues but still draws the ire of developers.

Mozilla Firefox has its minor problems with following standards, as does a lagging (though recently updated) Safari. Opera is as close to standard as can be found but its market share is still irrelevant. Hopefully with the advent of Firefox 3.0 (Gran Paridiso), another browser will join the ranks of engines that pass the Acid2 test.

1. Lack of Updates to XHTML and CSS Specs & Support

It takes far too long for the W3C to push forward new HTML and CSS advancements. While JavaScript, AJAX, and Flash have evolved quickly, the two foundations of web programming are painfully stagnant. The canvas tag has recently been introduced but is largely irrelevant to developers today. CSS has not moved at an acceptable pace either. CSS3.0's working draft has not yet been completed though worked started in late 2005. We want something spec'd up quickly...

...that will be shortly thereafter supported. Internet Explorer has largely been slow in implementing advancements in CSS, mostly due to Microsoft abandoning IE support for half a decade. IE6, seemingly the world's default browser, does not support all CSS2 standards; useful pseudo-classes and pseudo-elements are either not implement or are implemented poorly.

We need faster spec-drafting and browser support for advanced CSS and XHTML. It's hard to move forward with the internet without forward-thinking applied towards the two languages that provide the basis for every website.

What are your thoughts?