LearnNowOnline

Blog

How Can You Tell if a Technology Has Arrived?

By Martin Schaeferle | January 25, 2013

There are two ways to find out what the "next big thing" will be in terms of programming languages and next-generation IT skill sets. The first way is to read the popular IT journals; this is a piece of advice we've given in the past, and we're sticking to it. That's because magazines like Computerworld and InfoWeek provide objective forecasts around what technologies companies will adopt in the future. The other - and more immediate way - to find out is by seeing what early adopters are doing. (Usually the best way to find this out is through the aforementioned journals.) Once the big boys start adopting a technology or standard, it's safe to say it's here to stay. For example, take HTML5. Even before the standard was 100 percent complete, YouTube, Google, and Netflix adopted it and incorporated it into some applications. Never mind that full certification won't come until 2014 - they were that excited and eager to roll it out. This probably the best evidence yet that an HTML5 tutorial should be a key part to your career development plan.