Why did the web take over desktop and not mobile?

#1

Post by pfraze » Sat, Sep 11, 2021, 5:06 AM UTC

Why did the web take over desktop and not mobile?
subconscious.substack.com

Re: Why did the web take over desktop and not mobile?

#2

Post by garmaine » Sat, Sep 11, 2021, 6:16 AM UTC

…did it?

I still use tons of native apps on my laptop, and almost exclusively native apps only on my desktop.

Re: Why did the web take over desktop and not mobile?

#3

Post by pjmlp » Sat, Sep 11, 2021, 6:45 AM UTC

Most of the stuff I use on my computer are native apps, and plenty of corporations still based on air gaped networks with native applications.

Also despite WebGL, or due to the way it was evolved during the last 10 years, game development for the Web is a failure, hence why everyone is having yet another go at streaming with graphics cards neither WebGL nor WebGPU will ever support.

Also nice touch forgetting about PalmOS, Symbian and Windows/PocketPC.

Re: Why did the web take over desktop and not mobile?

#4

Post by gubikmic » Sat, Sep 11, 2021, 6:58 AM UTC

One word: Apple.

Preventing PWAs is detrimental to users and an abuse of their monopoly.

Re: Why did the web take over desktop and not mobile?

#5

Post by handrous » Sat, Sep 11, 2021, 6:59 AM UTC

Maybe I missed it, but I don't think the article even provides figures for the percentage of time spent in a browser on mobile versus desktop.

If it is indeed skewed toward non-browser activities on the phone, that's got to mostly be due to hardware integration for things that don't exist or aren't used the same way on most desktops (camera, voice assistant, GPS) and better notification interfaces (messaging apps, which surely occupy a larger percentage of mobile users' time than desktop). Most of the stuff in the article seems way less relevant than those (e.g. "typing passwords is awkward on a phone"—OK, but I don't type them, they auto-fill, and Safari even generates them for me so many of my passwords I've never typed on any platform, so....)

Re: Why did the web take over desktop and not mobile?

#6

Post by wruza » Sat, Sep 11, 2021, 7:12 AM UTC

gubikmic wrote: post #4

One word: Apple. Preventing PWAs is detrimental to users and an abuse of their monopoly.

Is android native development still a thing?

Re: Why did the web take over desktop and not mobile?

#7

Post by jjtheblunt » Sat, Sep 11, 2021, 7:12 AM UTC

Mobile code can not burn battery on unnecessary cpu use, and certainly not on unnecessary use of power transmitting over a radio link repetitively loading things: desktop gets power plugged into a wall and is therefore less constrained.

Re: Why did the web take over desktop and not mobile?

#8

Post by Hydraulix989 » Sat, Sep 11, 2021, 7:27 AM UTC

wruza wrote: post #6

gubikmic wrote: post #4

One word: Apple. Preventing PWAs is detrimental to users and an abuse of their monopoly.

Is android native development still a thing?

I've only ever seen the NDK used for games

Re: Why did the web take over desktop and not mobile?

#9

Post by etaioinshrdlu » Sat, Sep 11, 2021, 7:29 AM UTC

I've been writing a big React app for about a year, it runs really well on mobile too, but it is a bit hamstrung by iOS safari due to some errant touch interactions I've not been able to turn off despite much trying: double tapping, pinching in certain random areas can lead to zooming, and there is no good way for the user to undo it.

I'm going to agree that the reason is Apple.

Re: Why did the web take over desktop and not mobile?

#10

Post by FpUser » Sat, Sep 11, 2021, 7:32 AM UTC

I am not sure in what world. 90% of the applications I use are native desktop apps. Look ma, no web.