Opera Developer News

A growing number of announcements in the tech industry are heralding projects offering consumers a 3D experience. While this is the focus of attention for most software and hardware companies, we feel an important area of technical development has been neglected: 1D.

Opera, known for its innovation, has raced ahead of the competition yet again by proposing the addition of a one-dimensional context to HTML5's canvas element. Based on the existing 2D specification, developers will be familiar with its properties and methods and should find using the API straightforward. Not only will it offer an easy first step for beginners to dynamic image creation, but also the obvious restrictions of working in a 1D space could ironically have hidden benefits, as suggested by T.S. Eliot:

“When forced to work within a strict framework the imagination is taxed to its utmost – and will produce its richest ideas. Given total freedom the work is likely to sprawl."

To demonstrate the exciting potential of a 1D canvas, we've created a basic API and a few simple examples.

While still in its early stages, internal reaction to the project has been positive. "It's a stroke of genius. We've redefined the boundaries of HTML5 and are excited to see what web developers will make of this breakthrough", enthused Lead Technical Manager, Olaf Pirøl.