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Why I'm Not a React Native Developer

arielelkin.github.io

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Re: Why I'm Not a React Native Developer

#51

Post by Lazare »

cocktailpeanuts wrote: post #41

A lot of people here seem to criticize the OP's POV on javascript, but my biggest takeaway was the more abstract parts of his post, such as patents and uncertain roadmap. These are very REAL problems. I am a javascript programmer AND an iOS programmer. I work with React to build web apps at work. And lately I have played around with react native, but I felt uneasy jumping ship to use solely react native for the very…

> my biggest takeaway was the more abstract parts of his post, such as patents and uncertain roadmap. These are very REAL problems.

I would say the patent issue is more FUD than a real issue; he praises Swift but Swift has a very similar patent grant and termination clause. The key difference is that the Swift grant terminates if you end up in a patent dispute with Apple over something related to Swift; the React grant terminates if you end up in any patent dispute with Facebook.

So the whole issue boils down to "what if you get into a patent dispute with Facebook over a patent that doesn't relate to their core web UI tech". Which...I dunno, is that a real concern?

> “nice quantum physics technology you have here, would be a shame if something bad were to happen to your app”

Yeah, okay. But if my core business is making apps, then every patent I might have is likely to be covered by both patent grant termination clauses. So the issue is...?

(Also, the author is conflating the license to use React with the license to use any patents, if any, which cover React. If, as is entirely possible, no Facebook patent covers any React technology, then having the patent grant terminate would not concern you.)

Re: Why I'm Not a React Native Developer

#53

Post by Lazare »

sebastianconcpt wrote: post #50
ChrisLTD wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ariel also doesn't like this clause in the React license: The license granted hereunder will terminate, automatically and without notice, if you (or any of your subsidiaries, corporate affiliates or agents) initiate directly or indirectly, or take a direct financial interest in, any Patent Assertion: (i) against Facebook or any of its subsidiaries or corporate affiliates, (ii) against any party if such Patent Asserti…

That alone makes it a non-starter

Why? (Honest question.)

Re: Why I'm Not a React Native Developer

#54

Post by sebastianconcpt »

React "componentization" is nice. For me there are two things that makes it a non-starter: 1. That legal clause mentioned in the article and 2. The complexity of learning this platform is the same as learning the native without the same benefits on the control over the hardware (actually with added complexity potential lack of control)

Re: Why I'm Not a React Native Developer

#55

Post by ianl_person »

ChrisLTD wrote: post #7
revicon wrote: post #4

tldr; Author doesn't like writing in javascript and fears that Facebook may some day decide to stop supporting React Native.

Ariel also doesn't like this clause in the React license: The license granted hereunder will terminate, automatically and without notice, if you (or any of your subsidiaries, corporate affiliates or agents) initiate directly or indirectly, or take a direct financial interest in, any Patent Assertion: (i) against Facebook or any of its subsidiaries or corporate affiliates, (ii) against any party if such Patent Asserti…

To my reading, there are two separate items: a copyright license and a patent grant. - The former allows you to make copies of the software - The latter protects you from Facebook claiming patent infringement arising from the use of React Native (aka, Necessary Claims). It doesn't necessarily mean they have such patents but if they do, you are protected.

So if the reciprocity clause in Facebook's patent grant is a problem, all recent MIT licensed software out there without a patent grant would also be off limits.

Re: Why I'm Not a React Native Developer

#56

Post by kschiffer »

I believe in the end it all boils down to the fact that JavaScript is a language that wasn't made for the needs of modern day (web) applications, but since it is still a standard, we need to force it into a form where we can have best control over its shortcomings. That's why things like Typescript, Flow and React exist in the first place. I know this article is about mobile app development, but I think JavaScript would not have the sort of widespread use today if it wasn't for the fact that we use it for website scripting.

So I guess that developers familiarity with the language is what makes it so popular (as in often-used) and is also why we suddenly start using it for arbitrary scripting and mobile app development. The obligatory use of JavaScript in web development led to a whole range of developers growing accustomed to it and now, in spite of its limitations, trying to transfer their ideas to other fields of development.

React Native is just a neat way for JavaScript (React) developers to be able to script UIs for mobile OS's without changing their toolset. And I think for that it's perfectly fine. Obviously if you've never been big into JavaScript I can totally see how cannot make much sense of it all and yeah a lot of the things pointed out are perfectly legitimate. Yet I still think the question whether it makes the language unusable for one scenario or the other is very very opinionated.

Re: Why I'm Not a React Native Developer

#58

Post by gorkemyurt »

Ability to update your app over the wire with React Native is a massive advantage overlooked in the article. (via Codepush or something similar)

In big companies app releases are a huge problem when 100+ committers and tens of features are released to the same app sometimes within the same app update. React Native has the potential to enable feature teams independently update the app.

Re: Why I'm Not a React Native Developer

#59

Post by qwertyuiop924 »

The legal concerns are legitimate, but frankly, I am unconvinced by the criticisms of JavaScript: There are well-known, well-designed tools like ESLint, and if you like types, Flow and TypeScript, which can mitigate the issues. That's more than you can say about Java (COBOL 2.0, now with a bevy of cargo-cult OO that makes things more overly complex), or Objective-C (All the safety of C, with similar OO problems, and a weird syntax that very few people like, and of course, no GC).

Re: Why I'm Not a React Native Developer

#60

Post by qwertyuiop924 »

kschiffer wrote: post #56

I believe in the end it all boils down to the fact that JavaScript is a language that wasn't made for the needs of modern day (web) applications, but since it is still a standard, we need to force it into a form where we can have best control over its shortcomings. That's why things like Typescript, Flow and React exist in the first place. I know this article is about mobile app development, but I think JavaScript wo…

Besides, while JS's problems are very real, they're quite exaggerated. It's still a perfectly usable language, even without TS and whatnot.

And unlike some languages used for app programming, an error doesn't have the potential to hand you a segfault.

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