Heh.   I just had a very interesting interview with a person which quickly turned into a discussion.   In that discussion, I held out the notion that I actually don’t think that all of this present methodology that is grounded in HTML5 and JavaScript will survive the onrushing tablet/smart-phone space.

Here we all are, talking “matter of factly” how Flash is out (good riddance) and “of course” HTML5 is in, and which “of course” JavaScript framework is going to dominate on tablets and ... all of the sudden ... “OMG!   But what if? ...”

“It’s dejá vu all over again...”

I think that these hand-held devices are going to bring us straight back to the application, installed individually on each device through the “automatic software update” processes that are now common.   The applications are going to be native, communicating with back-end servers perhaps using legacy-compatible JSON and/or XML:RPC protocols, but our entire “know how” investment of how to build web applications is going to be ... nullified.   “These are not ‘web’ applications.”

Where do I think it’s going?   I think that the next talked-about thing will be cross-platform development languages, of which I am currently most familiar with http://www.haxe.org and its brethren.   I don’t know if this is the language that will win, but I think it’s the correct approach.   However, there is a wee bit of a problem . . .

The problem is that there is once again no “short line” between the present state and that one.   Once again, we have corporately made massive investments in a technology that worked, and even witnessed our actions and choices appearing to be sanctified by the biggest and most well-known names ... and then, the technology changed course again and leaves us swimming in an oxbow lake.

Don’t know yet if I’ll get the gig, but it sure was an interesting discussion.