Benefits and Pitfalls of Using HTML5 APIs for Online Experiments and Simulations

Authors

  • Pablo Garaizar University of Deusto, Bilbao, Spain
  • Miguel Ángel Vadillo University of Deusto, Bilbao, Spain
  • Diego Lopez-de-Ipina University of Deusto, Bilbao, Spain

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3991/ijoe.v8iS3.2254

Keywords:

Application programming interface, Best practices, Internet, Standards, HTML5

Abstract


The most recent advances in the architecture of the Web allow using it as an excellent platform to deliver experiments and simulations over the Internet. However, there are still some challenges related to the animationsâ?? accuracy, to user input collection or to real-time communications that have to be accomplished to properly port native application- based experiments and simulations to the Web. The limitations of the standards preceding HTML5 have forced web developers to embed non-HTML objects using a wide range of non-standard plugins and causing an extremely fragmented execution environment where features must be implemented several times in different programming languages to guarantee full compliance with every user-agent. As HTML5 provides a standard -yet fully-featured- environment to develop and execute applications, web user-agents are now more similar to application players than to simple Internet browsers. In this paper we analyze the benefits and pitfalls of these new Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), providing examples of both good and bad instances of research-related use.

Author Biographies

Pablo Garaizar, University of Deusto, Bilbao, Spain

Deusto Institute of Technology (DeustoTech)

Miguel Ángel Vadillo, University of Deusto, Bilbao, Spain

Experimental Psychology Laboratory (Labpsico)

Diego Lopez-de-Ipina, University of Deusto, Bilbao, Spain

Deusto Institute of Technology (DeustoTech)

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Published

2012-11-28

How to Cite

Garaizar, P., Vadillo, M. Ángel, & Lopez-de-Ipina, D. (2012). Benefits and Pitfalls of Using HTML5 APIs for Online Experiments and Simulations. International Journal of Online and Biomedical Engineering (iJOE), 8(S3), pp. 20–25. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijoe.v8iS3.2254