Off the well beaten path

A recent article posted at Toms Hardware, has peaked my interest for two reasons. One, if this new rendering technique isn't simply smoke and mirrors, it has the potential to totally revolutionize 3d graphics as we know it today. The hardware race (particularly between AMD and nVidia) could potentially grind to a halt, and photo realistic graphics will become the norm. As great as it may be, it isn't this reason that has really gotten be thinking, but my second reason, and that is how, Bruce Dell, the individual behind this technique, has potentially created something amazing because he did something different than everyone else. Something important I'd like to point out, is how his competition is quick to tear down his idea's because it isn't the way things are normally done and because it is a threat to their way of things

Being in the web development industry seems to be a double edged sword with this line of thinking. It seems individuals and business's are afraid to walk off the well beaten path to try something new. This goes from a design standpoint and technology standpoint. I can't speak too much from a design stand point, but it seems whenever I talk to designers about web sites they are quick to criticize a website for looking to much like the plethora of other websites out there, as they are for slamming one with a unique, eye catching design, even if goes a little to far in breaking the mold. It seems most of the companies out there would rather stick with the cookie-cutter websites and not deviate from the pack, even though they are selling themselves short in the process. In my opinion, its better to try to do something unique, new, and (r)evolutionary and miss the mark by a bit, than to generate websites with the same feature set as those from a decade ago.

And then there is the technology side of things... It seems the majority of websites I visit these days are hung up in 2000. Flash never seems to be used a practical sense. Most websites I see with Flash remind me of the 'rice rockets' you used to see cruising around 10 years ago with ground effect lights and massive spoilers. They did nothing for the car itself, even if they did turn a few heads. Yes some people are talking about how Flash will be obsolete from HTML 5, and because of security risks that seem to be arising with it, but I think Flash will be here for a long time yet. There is too much existing content out there for it to simply disappear, as well as too many people with too much time invested in the skill set to simply let it go. There are other web technologies that seem to be under utilized. Ajax, being a major one. Ajax gives us the ability to truly make the web function similarly to that of regular desktop applications. Ajax has been around for more or less a decade and you rarely see it being used to its full potential. For any short coming it may have, their are simple work a round's, and the benefits are worth it. Less loading, a more seamless user experience, and more aesthetic presentations are just a few of the advantages, are all inherited through well implemented Ajax. Hopefully HTML 5 web sockets won't see the same type of neglect as Ajax has.

There is a lot of untapped potential in the web, so why not look at the technologies available and try to come up with something others haven't tried before? Sure you may miss the mark a few times, but even so, even if you raise the bar an inch others will be sure to follow. Besides, a little friendly competition never hurt anyone, right? If people criticize you for trying something new, it might mean you're on the right path. Use the constructive criticism, then keep pushing forward with new ideas and techniques.

This blog posting is also available on the site of Stealth Web Designs, check it out!