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React Native for Windows and Mac

microsoft.github.io

271–280 of 505 posts

Re: React Native for Windows and Mac

#271
post #18

I think the killer feature here is natively targeting Windows AND macOS simultaneously. The only cross-platform alternatives that I've seen in the ecosystem use either web or Gtk in the frontend, and both of these have a distinctly non-native feel to them.

Killer vaporware, classic Microsoft FUD modus operandi. Mac is “coming soon.”

Re: React Native for Windows and Mac

#272

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> As an end user why do I care about "openness"? If I pay a premium for my platform, why would I want second rate cross platform software? Falsehoods HNers believe about how people buy/use software. Didn't stop Slack/Discord from become ubiquitous. "But native tho" just becomes a circlejerk. Talking about what users care about, most people don't know what native means nor if a given app is it. They don't know if Zoom…

Let's not forget that MS Teams has more paying users than Slack.... How many people know that Slack is battery draining monstrosity? The only people that pay for Slack are companies. The definition of Enterprise Software is where the user is not the customer.

MS Teams has more paying users than Slack because for every CIO in America there is probably a Microsoft employee who goes to strip clubs with him.

Re: React Native for Windows and Mac

#273
post #258

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is thanks to many of the React dev team being strong proponents of outsourcing to micro deps for everything & remained strong supporters even after the left-pad incident. Imagine how much more enjoyable npm would've been if prominent JS devs took a sane approach to dependencies, like the TypeScript team who have no runtime deps. The resulting npm deps of hell [1] means they need to rely on complex build solution…

According to the link in the comment, apparently React has a total dependency tree with only 7 nodes, which is the opposite of what you are describing. I'm actually surprised, I thought React had many more dependencies. Edit: Removed comment related to typo, no longer relevant.

Was a typo I meant `proponents`, fixed.

The core library deps isn't relevant, it's how many deps the smallest starting Create React App has that matters [1]. As mentioned by OP react-native is far worse.

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19195148

Re: React Native for Windows and Mac

#274
post #71

Is anyone able to provide a map of modern frameworks? With React-native, React-redux, Angular, Vue and probably a bunch of others. I'm really not sure what's relevant now and what was relevant 6 months ago. I'm genuinely curious, but it's pretty difficult to grasp and no framework homepage is going to tell you "Don't use me, I'm about to be a dead project!" and every developer will tell you their preferred framework…

"I can't figure out what will be relevant in six months" might have been a legitimate complaint a decade ago, but those days are long gone. React has been a core part of the front end ecosystem for almost 10 years. Angular is more than 10 years old. Vue is the "new kid" on the block at about six years old. React is roughly 10x more popular than Vue or Angular according to npm usage, has been far more popular in usage…

React Native and React are two different things, no? JavaScript is not Java, Programming Pearls by John Bentley is not about Perl, C# is not C, etc.

Re: React Native for Windows and Mac

#275
post #17

React Native scares me with its dependency webs: http://npm.anvaka.com/#/view/2d/react-native From my experience, it's really great to work with and definitely saves a ton of work, but the depgraph above fills me with doubt for use in sensitive applications such as in finance or healthcare. For this reason, I've been trying out Flutter or even considering to go back to native apps. Perhaps there's some kind of middle…

Wow, that React Native dep graph is crazy! But as I browse it, most of the dependencies seem to be build-time, not runtime dependencies (i.e. it seems like most of them are related to Babel). The React comparison doesn't include dev dependencies. While react-native does have more dependencies than vanilla react, on first glance the list doesn't seem too crazy https://github.com/facebook/react-native/blob/master/packa…

Am I the only one who just spent 5 minutes chasing moving nodes round in that graph looking for leftpad.js?

Re: React Native for Windows and Mac

#276
post #195

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think it would be less bloated, it's impossible for a layer on top of native to be less bloated. That's not to say it couldn't be efficient, and efficiency in development time is the key factor. It can be a nightmare to manage apps across different platforms, frameworks and languages. RN could be massively improved, but the concept is a godsend.

Why would I as end user care about developer efficiency?

Because developer efficiency reduces the cost of the app, or in many cases causes the app to exist where it otherwise would not.

Re: React Native for Windows and Mac

#277

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Expo has one small issue... if you are in an organization that isn't capable of keeping it up to date and it becomes deprecated, your app will stop working. If this happens over a weekend, expect your phone to blow up every three hours until it gets republished and fixed.

Unless you are referring to another issue, using `expo build:android` will create an apk file so you don't have to rely on staying up to date with the Expo app.

Yeah, but if you are using their native extensions and they deprecate your version, their repo will become unavailable and your app will fail to start.

Re: React Native for Windows and Mac

#278

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why would I as end user care about developer efficiency?

It keeps the cost down. A lot of end users care more about cost than literally anything else.

How many end users pay for non-game desktop software at all? How many successful (ie profitable) companies have made money selling desktop software using cross platform frameworks like React Native?

Re: React Native for Windows and Mac

#279
post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I know the chromium engine is a resource hog, but the scalability/mix between platforms makes it worth it. Worth it for some. Personally, I refuse to use any Electron apps because they have a highly non-native-feeling UX and because they're resource hogs. This announcement excites me, because React Native is likely to be an improvement on both counts. The UX still won't be quite as native-feeling as a single-platfo…

VScode looks and feels native and not memory intensive

"When I use an editor, I don't want eight extra KILOBYTES of worthless help screens and cursor positioning code! I just want an EDitor!! Not a 'viitor'. Not a 'emacsitor'. Those aren't even WORDS!!!! ED! ED! ED IS THE STANDARD!!!"

Not making a point. Just couldn't resist.

Context: https://www.gnu.org/fun/jokes/ed-msg.html

Re: React Native for Windows and Mac

#280
post #268

React Native is best understood as an insurgent attack on native mobile platforms, funded by overwealthy and bloated companies that do not control mobile platforms, but feel entitled. Microsoft and Facebook attacking Apple and Google basically. IMHO it's not a sincere effort to make a nice platform. It moves fast and breaks things in major ways with each minor point release, with the current excuse being that it's no…

How are Facebook and Microsoft any more or less "bloated" than Google or Apple?

Also Discord's iOS app is built with ReactNative, and it is a pretty feature rich application, seems like it works for those use it.

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