Throughout the weekend I'll be uploading the new forum theme piece by piece as I finish them. Currently it's not ready for prime time but what is uploaded allows me to see a result with live data.

It's not available for users to choose directly, but if you'd like to see it in action (like a Steam Early Access kinda thing) PM me and I'll set your theme to it. It is HTML5+CSS3 and for now requires JavaScript enabled for a few SMF functions I haven't obsoleted, so if you don't use a browser capable of modern web tech (aka a modern browser) don't ask.

Some pieces that have been uploaded do still need cleanup (like the breadcrumb nav), so I won't be accepting comments and suggestions until I open a thread specifically for them. My personal dev methodology for this theme is modern desktop browsers first, then smartphones, then handle stragglers like IE8 users on XP if necessary.

It is HTML5+CSS3 and for now requires JavaScript enabled for a few SMF functions I haven't obsoleted, so if you don't use a browser capable of modern web tech (aka a modern browser) don't ask.

It might just be me, but I'd totally stick with HTML5 and CSS3 with JavaScript. It's the way of the future and if people don't use a modern browser then it's their fault for not going with the flow, so in a way it punishes them which is completely fair in my opinion (IE8- users in specific, curse that messy browser). I'm already thinking we ought to move ALL of our desktop-written software to the web. Everything from calculator apps to the entire Microsoft Office suite. Yes this includes games and the most processor intensive desktop apps today.

The only reason to not have a web app is to write some serious locally-hosted secure stuff, otherwise it's for the birds to continue creating Mac, Win, and Linux apps that use ANY form of windowing environment. Okay now I'm getting off topic. But what I hope to say here is never fear going the CSS3, HTML5, JS route. It's only getting more and more popular.

Some pieces that have been uploaded do still need cleanup (like the breadcrumb nav), so I won't be accepting comments and suggestions until I open a thread specifically for them. My personal dev methodology for this theme is modern desktop browsers first, then smartphones, then handle stragglers like IE8 users on XP if necessary.

That sounds totally reasonable to me. Thanks for doing this!

I suspect you'll be doing your own battery of tests (IE9+, FF, Chrome, Opera, Safari)

It is HTML5+CSS3 and for now requires JavaScript enabled for a few SMF functions I haven't obsoleted, so if you don't use a browser capable of modern web tech (aka a modern browser) don't ask.

One thing I always liked about Spherical is that I can visit it in Lynx.

I'm already thinking we ought to move ALL of our desktop-written software to the web.

I'm of the mind that we should hold off on that until we have the infrastructure to ensure it works. I'm on the go frequently, and having internet is a fair toss-up for me. As such, I have copies of software specifically for use when I'm out and about.
I do agree that that is the ideal, but the fact that it moves control of the software away from the user and completely disables people without at least decent internet from using the software makes me less excited about it.

Good point. I don't even have Internet at my house, and the ONLY option (at all!) is single-digit kbps dial-up. Which gets really expensive, since you pay for service and phone calls.

Web-only is a cool idea, but there are serious practical concerns to it. Solely browser-based is a better, related idea, I think. But then, why browsers, short of the fact that it buys you a free GUI? Java does just as well, except the GUI-part is easier to program, and it's more compatible on all platforms. And at that point, there are libraries like FLTK that have exceeding intelligent GUI design (makes Win32, GTK, Qt, and even .NET look clunky) and are written in C++, with linkage for many languages.

I am, of course, biased, but who isn't? Personally, I resist web-based programming mainly because I enjoy native desktop programming.

The company I work at made a largely windows based app to use in-house but when they wanted to add features to it they decided to make web apps. My colleagues say it more than halved their time at writing a useful cross platform app, it was cleaner (MVC approach) and less hassle overall. The company I work at is soon going to release a product that is subscription based, and it's a web app (ASP.Net) and they found it easier to maintain and auto-update as clients are added rather than the traditional windows forms approach.

I personally have made a few web apps and made neat programs in a quarter of the time it would otherwise take me. Now, the only issue I have so far is creating anything that utilizes graphics in any meaningful way. I still find the HTML 5 canvas and any data processing in JS to be terrible. I guess there are libraries out there to make that part easier but anything binary related is really really hard to figure out (client-side).

Anyways I only say this because I have real world experience in the growing nature of this field.

I understand what you mean, I worked in a web development internship for a couple years. In terms of developer-side, doing things web-based is almost entirely upside - automatic updates, so all your clients are using the most recent version, easier to find runtime bugs, all kinds of things. The only reason I'm not all for it is the realistic lack of infrastructure.
Also, I really wish people would stop using IE.
Seriously, why can't they just implement the standard like everyone else does.

I understand what you mean, I worked in a web development internship for a couple years. In terms of developer-side, doing things web-based is almost entirely upside - automatic updates, so all your clients are using the most recent version, easier to find runtime bugs, all kinds of things. The only reason I'm not all for it is the realistic lack of infrastructure.

Yeah, I agree with you there. I hope the infrastructure grows in this area in the next 4 years. Wouldn't it be neat to have a WinForms-like docking library for your html-5 app? There might even be such a project out there.

Also, I really wish people would stop using IE.
Seriously, why can't they just implement the standard like everyone else does.

I agree with you there too, though I will admit that IE9+, especially IE10+ are more web standards compliant and are actually a bit more useful than IE8-. (I'm more of a Chrome guy anyways).

(note to self: max-width reply box and imgs)