W3C AC Meeting 2016 - What's the Next Big Thing?

Historical picture of W3C focus

The next big thing has always been our major area of focus

• Past: HTML 3, XML, Web Services, etc.
• 2008-2014: video, HTML5
• 2012- : Vertical Industries using the Web

Candidate areas for next big thing

1. HTML.next
2. Security
3. WebRTC
4. Payments
5. Industry support
6. WoT
7. New driver application: Virtual Reality
8. Is the Web dead?

1. HTML.next

Focus	Web Extensibility	*Real* Web Applications
Goals	Re-use Encapsulation Composition Cleaner code	Improved offline cache model Lifecycle Background processing
Projects	Web Components (HTML) Houdini TF (CSS)	Service Workers App manifest

2. Security

• Web security is one of the key problems of our time
• Disruption to the Web:
  • Data loss/theft, malware threats, pervasive surveillance
  • Poor security leads to lost loyalty, increased costs
• Open Web Platform increasingly more powerful
• Billions of hardware devices come online (WoT)
• Trust required for business and personal communications
• Web Crypto, WebAppSec, Web Authentication can address security issues

A security panel at RSA Conference 2016 warned IoT will change the security game.

3. WebRTC

• Open Web Platform allows for rich, interactive, cross-platform applications
• Real-Time conversations are a big thing in life
• WebRTC expands world-class real-time communication services to any connected device, on any network

4. Web Payments

• e-Commerce potential: 1.5 trillion USD annually
• e-Commerce evolved from merchant-centric to a Web-like experience
• Customers are now at the center of e-Commerce
• Customers combine in-store with on-line, on laptop and mobile
• Flexibility and security in payment methods are required in this omni-channel model
• Underlying payment and e-Commerce infrastructure will be “web-like”
• The Web will better connect humanity with their economic potential

5. Industry support

• Impact of the Open Web Platform has grown
• Industries are building their business platforms on top of the Web
• W3C had an imperative to understand these industries
• W3C has made Industry a focus
• Industry Champion program (∗)
• As it intensifies, is it our next big thing?

(∗) See Champion program introduction at TPAC 2015.

6. WoT

Breaking the silos, enabling an open market of things

• The Web of Things is the interoperability and abstraction layer over IoT platforms
• The Web is fueling transition from costly monolithic software to open markets of apps
• Rise of connected devices: 38.5 billion in 2020 (from 13.4 billion in 2015) (Juniper)

7. Virtual Reality

Applications	Games, social, entertainment Engineering, training, E-Commerce Real-estate, tourism, journalism, etc.
Gaps	Codecs, HTML integration, streaming Web audio, 3D rendering Movement detection (Device orientation API)

Headlights 2016: Web and Virtual Reality

8. Is the Web dead?

Yes	No
The action has moved to closed social media and apps	7 candidate NBT; the Web is vibrant e-Commerce potential: 1.5 trillion USD annually 1 billion websites by mid-2016 571 Websites are created every minute Rise of connected devices: 38.5 billion in 2020 (from 13.4 billion in 2015) (Juniper)

Straw poll on the 7 candidates (Loomio)

1. Security
2. Payments (ex-aequo with WoT)
3. WoT (ex-aequo with Web Payments)
4. HTML.next (Core Platform)
5. WebRTC
6. Industry support
7. New driver application: Virtual Reality
8. Or, nope, the Web is dead