Yes, we covered the initial release of MediaElement.js elsewhere on The 8BIT Network earlier last week, but I thought it was worth revisiting albeit with a slightly different perspective.
After all, code is what we’re all about, right?
The Curse of New Technology
Most modern browsers are beginning to implement a variety of HTML5 features and although they are leading to better markup and new functionality, we have to remember that there are still going to be users that surf the web in dated browsers.
So what does this mean? It means that that there is potential for pages and applications to be created that won’t necessarily degrade properly in these browsers.
Case in point: The new HTML5 video tag is what will be used to embed video in HTML5-based documents. Since older browsers won’t recognize the tag, they won’t support the video.
Under-The-Hood
This is the problem that John Dyer’s MediaElement.js solves. Simply put, it’s a JavaScript library that ensures older browsers will still be able to display media that was originally declared within the context of a video tag.
Sure, it offers a lot of value but as someone that’s a fan of the open-source community, I always get a kick out of browsing through other developer’s code. Aside from being a great way to see how something works, it’s an easy way to pick up a few new things, too.
JavaScript-based projects, by nature, are open-source but the Dyer’s work is also available on GitHub which means that it’s available for review and checkout.
I highly recommend that client-side developers at least skim some of John’s work. He’s got seriously clean code and employs a variety of techniques for handling cross-browser issues that you’re likely to encounter in any serious client-side application developer.
Good stuff, John. Dig this project.
John Dyer says
Thanks for the great writeup!
Tom says
Sure thing, John. Love the library!