YOUR GUIDE TO
When to Use a JavaScript Canvas Library or Framework
And when to use an HTML DOM Library or Framework
In this guide we will explore when we should use a Canvas framework as opposed to traditional HTML, CSS and JS or a DOM framework.
Both libraries and frameworks provide pre-built code to help you make things faster and easier. The general difference is with a library you pick the parts you want and use them. With a framework you plug into a system that does things for you. They are quite similar and lines blur so we will use the term framework for simplicity.
Brief History of HTML, CSS, JavaScript (DOM) and Interactive Media
Traditional HTML, CSS and JavaScript have been around since the nineties and the main focus has been to make Web documents for the Browser. Other environments such as Macromedia/Adobe Director and Flash were used for Interactive Media.
Interactive Media (initially, multimedia) could be considered to encompass Web design and development but to keep things clear, let us say Interactive Media tends towards interactivity beyond navigation. This includes making things, doing things, playing things. Web sites tend towards interactivity to navigate to things or to show…
