The mobile app is going the way of the CD-ROM: To the dustbin of history
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Re: The mobile app is going the way of the CD-ROM: To the dustbin of history
#2“There’s always some stuff around the edges that won’t work perfectly, but compared to writing in seven different languages, it works.”
Write once, run anywhere. Why didn't anyone think of this before?
Re: The mobile app is going the way of the CD-ROM: To the dustbin of history
#3Yahoo has just announced Yahoo Cocktails, a set of tools for developers to use that make web apps look and behave more like native apps. Mozilla is working on tools to help developers sell web-based apps to mobile device users, enabling them to make profits just as developers in the iTunes App Store or Android Market can now do.
Yes, we can finally relegate this obsolete dinosaur to the dustbin of history once we faithfully replicate every aspect of it.
Re: The mobile app is going the way of the CD-ROM: To the dustbin of history
#4“There’s always some stuff around the edges that won’t work perfectly, but compared to writing in seven different languages, it works.” Write once, run anywhere. Why didn't anyone think of this before?
What are those 7 languages, anyway? The guy has a strong point he can make without exaggerating. If you want to capture > 90% of the mobile market, I think you only need Objective C and Java.
Re: The mobile app is going the way of the CD-ROM: To the dustbin of history
#5No. Somebody please stop this guy. After reading this I feel about him like the machines must have when they sent the Terminator back in time to kill Sarah Connor.
Web apps are to native mobile apps as Java apps are to native desktop apps: ploddingly slow with clunky non-standard UIs—a degraded, lackluster experience.
With some notable exceptions I think they can be a pragmatically motivated stopgap step (in regards to either bottlenecks in time or money) on the road to building a full native app. But saying simply that because they cost less time or money to produce as a sole justification for creating them, and ignoring all their shortcomings, is like suggesting everyone buy a circa-1998 Samsung flip phone instead of an iPhone simply because you can get one on eBay for $5. It doesn’t matter, because the flip phone sucks and the iPhone doesn’t—economics aren’t the only factor to consider.
If you need any more proof, remember what happened when the iPhone originally launched and there was no support for building native apps. Apple’s professed solution was for app functionality to be provided by mobile-optimized web apps. There was literally a sustained caterwaul by developers and users alike for the ability to create native apps on the platform, so much so that Apple did a complete 180 on their original stance.
Re: The mobile app is going the way of the CD-ROM: To the dustbin of history
#6Sometimes i wish more people would care more about making good products rather than the next buzzword middleware stack which solves everything.
Re: The mobile app is going the way of the CD-ROM: To the dustbin of history
#7No. Somebody please stop this guy. After reading this I feel about him like the machines must have when they sent the Terminator back in time to kill Sarah Connor. Web apps are to native mobile apps as Java apps are to native desktop apps: ploddingly slow with clunky non-standard UIs—a degraded, lackluster experience. With some notable exceptions I think they can be a pragmatically motivated stopgap step (in regards…
> ploddingly slow with clunky non-standard UIs—a degraded, lackluster experience
That sounds like the arguments I used to hear from desktop devs back when web apps start to appear.
Sure web mobile apps kind of suck right now, but theres hardely any frameworks, established processes or documentation on how to build them properly. It's still in alpha stages.
When building mobile apps has matured and if they still have the performance and UI issues, then I might agree. But right now thats like saying a kid won't have a good job because of his grade 5 scores.
Re: The mobile app is going the way of the CD-ROM: To the dustbin of history
#8“There’s always some stuff around the edges that won’t work perfectly, but compared to writing in seven different languages, it works.” Write once, run anywhere. Why didn't anyone think of this before?
Ah yes. Write once, mediocre everywhere. Let's strive for that!
Re: The mobile app is going the way of the CD-ROM: To the dustbin of history
#9“There’s always some stuff around the edges that won’t work perfectly, but compared to writing in seven different languages, it works.” Write once, run anywhere. Why didn't anyone think of this before?
Ah yes. Write once, mediocre everywhere. Let's strive for that!
Javascript working on multiple platforms (browsers) isn't quite a new concept is it?
Sure IE6/7 had poor JS performance but IE7 is nearing death and performance of on mobile browsers is increasing rapidly (as well as CPU performance).
Re: The mobile app is going the way of the CD-ROM: To the dustbin of history
#10No. Somebody please stop this guy. After reading this I feel about him like the machines must have when they sent the Terminator back in time to kill Sarah Connor. Web apps are to native mobile apps as Java apps are to native desktop apps: ploddingly slow with clunky non-standard UIs—a degraded, lackluster experience. With some notable exceptions I think they can be a pragmatically motivated stopgap step (in regards…
> ploddingly slow with clunky non-standard UIs—a degraded, lackluster experience That sounds like the arguments I used to hear from desktop devs back when web apps start to appear. Sure web mobile apps kind of suck right now, but theres hardely any frameworks, established processes or documentation on how to build them properly. It's still in alpha stages. When building mobile apps has matured and if they still have…
That sounds like the arguments I used to hear from desktop devs back when web apps start to appear.
It's also like the arguments made against Java 10 years ago. :) I agree with you - it's not yet clear whether web technologies will significantly replace native for mobile or not. Even if they eventually end up doing so, that appears far enough out that I can't imagine making any decisions based on that right now.