I'd forgive you for thinking that a 1993-era first-person shooter running in a web browser is not particularly worthy of Gizmag's attention, with the browser-based Quake Arena having been online since 2009. What makes this noteworthy is that while Quake Arena runs as compiled x86 code and a browser plugin, this Doom port relies solely on web standards like HTML5's Canvas element and Javascript. That sound you hear is an infinite number of high-school IT teachers groaning.
I might still be in my twenties, but I haven't forgotten installing a bought copy of Netscape 1.0 off a floppy disc and using it to code my first website in HTML 2.0. While this port might only run at 35 frames per second on a fully loaded 2011 MacBook Pro, the fact it's possible at all is a stark reminder of how far we've come since blink tags, framesets and table-based layouts.
Play it here, read the developer notes here or download the complete source code here.
