With Flash fading quicker than Wally West himself, is the new language du jour going to be HTML5? HTML5 is set up to help enable growth across a variety of spaces, including multi-screen applications and technology that makes use of cloud-based solutions. Market analysis from IDC (News – Alert) says that HTML5 will be big, but in specific app categories.

According to a recent IDC study, HTML5 won’t run the gamut across the board. Instead, IDC says that it will coexist with mobile platforms, and that neither will replace the other.

"HTML5 has a strong premise and many strengths. However, no technology can meet the unifying expectations placed on HTML5 in this age of rapidly proliferating device capabilities," said Al Hilwa, research director of application development software at IDC.

Where HTML5 lacks is in developer knowledge. IDC doesn’t expect this to mature until 2016. According to the study, “the greatest use of HTML5 technologies in mobile applications will be found in the hybrid approach where HTML5 will be combined with native code to create mobile applications.”

HTML5 has been lauded as the next best thing when it comes to app development, and it’s even being labeled as a Flash killer. HTML5 is still under development, but its aim is the same: improve the language and support for multimedia while keeping it simple.

For one, a major benefit is better direct HTML support for drawing, animation, video and audio. By omitting the need for add-on tools like Flash or Silverlight, delivery of video, audio and animation is much simpler.

HTML5 also offers a sharper focus on Web applications, meaning developers have an easier time building front-ends for many Web elements.

IDC says the biggest challenges of HTML5 include skills, speed of device evolution, device fragmentation, and security.

Right now, it’s all about casual gaming. With cleaner code, smarter storage, better interactions, and cross-browser support, some experts feel we should move towards an HTML5 landscape and that it is the future. Because it’s still too mysterious to some, we likely won’t see it flourish, but with enough push from developers, we can expect to see HTML5 demystified.