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Why did Airbnb dump React Native? (2021)

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Re: Why did Airbnb dump React Native? (2021)

#71

Post by djbusby »

tmpz22 wrote: post #69
enra wrote: post #52

This is very inaccurate in many aspects, not sure if actually anything accurate in this except the fact that Airbnb did use and eventually dumped RN (source: I worked at Airbnb 2015-2019 on the platform team). As others have linked, Airbnb actually did write a summary about this. Basically what went down: For years Airbnb had actually pretty strong native mobile engineering both on iOS and Android (some of the best e…

> Timelines were often tight I wonder if those tight timelines seem justified in retrospect. The stress. Missed social events.

Management that sets that aggressive delivery schedule isn't working late to meet the schedule. They don't miss the social events.

Engineer stress is manager success. You get burnout, they get payout.

Re: Why did Airbnb dump React Native? (2021)

#72

Post by mhoad »

wly_cdgr wrote: post #12

TL;DR: * React Native caused problems for AirBnB because they needed more complete and efficient support for native geolocation/mapping features than RN provides * More generally, frameworks like RN and Flutter are a good choice if your app doesn't need extensive/precise/efficient access to native platform features and a bad choice if it does

I’m not familiar with RN ecosystem specifically but in the Flutter universe at least getting down deep into native code is built in with well defined and first class extension points. Not sure the point you’re making actually applies unless maybe I misunderstand something.

Re: Why did Airbnb dump React Native? (2021)

#73

Post by dimmke »

gigel82 wrote: post #70
enra wrote: post #52

This is very inaccurate in many aspects, not sure if actually anything accurate in this except the fact that Airbnb did use and eventually dumped RN (source: I worked at Airbnb 2015-2019 on the platform team). As others have linked, Airbnb actually did write a summary about this. Basically what went down: For years Airbnb had actually pretty strong native mobile engineering both on iOS and Android (some of the best e…

> Mobile engineers didn’t want to write RN code and web engineers didn’t want to build on mobile That's interesting. In our experience, we're having a difficult time hiring folks that want to write native (including UI) in antiquated languages and frameworks - but it's much easier to hire JavaScript folks that just hack at RN. Of course, someone still needs to stand up the actual platform, as well as write shared (an…

Yeah they think they know React Native until they have to debug something that is outside the happy path that is provided to them.

These people probably have never worked on a production RN app or done upgrades and maintenance for one.

Re: Why did Airbnb dump React Native? (2021)

#74

Post by jesuscript »

sandofsky wrote: post #38

It looks like the author has zero connection to AirBnB and is entirely speculating on what went down based on what the company themselves wrote. You're much better off just reading AirBnB's own long, detailed series on what happened: https://medium.com/airbnb-engineering/sunsetting-react-nativ... That said, I find it perfectly represents about 90% of React Native evangelism: someone who has never shipped an app copyi…

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Re: Why did Airbnb dump React Native? (2021)

#75

Post by programmarchy »

gigel82 wrote: post #70
enra wrote: post #52

This is very inaccurate in many aspects, not sure if actually anything accurate in this except the fact that Airbnb did use and eventually dumped RN (source: I worked at Airbnb 2015-2019 on the platform team). As others have linked, Airbnb actually did write a summary about this. Basically what went down: For years Airbnb had actually pretty strong native mobile engineering both on iOS and Android (some of the best e…

> Mobile engineers didn’t want to write RN code and web engineers didn’t want to build on mobile That's interesting. In our experience, we're having a difficult time hiring folks that want to write native (including UI) in antiquated languages and frameworks - but it's much easier to hire JavaScript folks that just hack at RN. Of course, someone still needs to stand up the actual platform, as well as write shared (an…

I wouldn’t call Swift (or Kotlin) antiquated. I’m sure it’s easier to hire JavaScript developers to hack on React Native because the talent pool is larger, but I’d wager your app quality will suffer. Depending on the app, sometimes a first class user experience just isn’t a high priority, in which case native-focused developers aren’t going to be attracted to working on it.

Re: Why did Airbnb dump React Native? (2021)

#76

Post by hitekker »

gigel82 wrote: post #70
enra wrote: post #52

This is very inaccurate in many aspects, not sure if actually anything accurate in this except the fact that Airbnb did use and eventually dumped RN (source: I worked at Airbnb 2015-2019 on the platform team). As others have linked, Airbnb actually did write a summary about this. Basically what went down: For years Airbnb had actually pretty strong native mobile engineering both on iOS and Android (some of the best e…

> Mobile engineers didn’t want to write RN code and web engineers didn’t want to build on mobile That's interesting. In our experience, we're having a difficult time hiring folks that want to write native (including UI) in antiquated languages and frameworks - but it's much easier to hire JavaScript folks that just hack at RN. Of course, someone still needs to stand up the actual platform, as well as write shared (an…

> antiquated languages and frameworks

Yikes, I hope you're not calling Kotlin or Swift antiquated. That's utterly false.

Re: Why did Airbnb dump React Native? (2021)

#77

Post by trevyn »

hitekker wrote: post #76
gigel82 wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Mobile engineers didn’t want to write RN code and web engineers didn’t want to build on mobile That's interesting. In our experience, we're having a difficult time hiring folks that want to write native (including UI) in antiquated languages and frameworks - but it's much easier to hire JavaScript folks that just hack at RN. Of course, someone still needs to stand up the actual platform, as well as write shared (an…

> antiquated languages and frameworks Yikes, I hope you're not calling Kotlin or Swift antiquated. That's utterly false.

Swift = effectively proprietary = antiquated.

Re: Why did Airbnb dump React Native? (2021)

#78

Post by hitekker »

sandofsky wrote: post #37
Apocryphon wrote: post #2

Airbnb switched away from React Native at a time when a lot of other high-profile companies did as well and wrote technical blog articles about it. Discord was one of the few dissenters: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17619609 Looks like they're doubling-down further still: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32310392 Looks like Shopify also picked up RN: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22181873

The way Discord tamed React Native was writing its chat view entirely native. This is the area in which users probably spend 99% of their time. Similarly, in the Facebook and Instagram apps, React Native is banned from the home timelines and other areas where performance matters. Recently Discord finally ported their Android app over. Even if you separate the "change is bad" factor, many users report it's quite laggy…

React Native has two kinds of proponents: managers who don't want to deal with expensive mobile engineers and frontend web developers who don't want to learn mobile engineering.

It's labor-saving and over-engineering combined into one seemingly respectable package. And I'm saying this as a manager and a former web developer.

Flutter seems to have more respect for the craft of mobile engineering, which alienates managers and developers looking for an easy fix for their jobs and their careers.

Re: Why did Airbnb dump React Native? (2021)

#79

Post by weq »

enra wrote: post #52

This is very inaccurate in many aspects, not sure if actually anything accurate in this except the fact that Airbnb did use and eventually dumped RN (source: I worked at Airbnb 2015-2019 on the platform team). As others have linked, Airbnb actually did write a summary about this. Basically what went down: For years Airbnb had actually pretty strong native mobile engineering both on iOS and Android (some of the best e…

This is what u get for jumping on a bandwagon, instead I got my company to invest in a Software companies tech.

The same Xamarin app i built in 2014, still runs, on .net7. MS nailed crossplatform in a way that an ad company is never going to invest in. They needed to nail cross-platform to keep themselves as a company relevant; they lost the platform war, then redefined it.

Just launched more apps on the platform this year, love it to death. SAme skills i learnt in silverlight, still relevant 10yrs later. Share 90% of code across every platform; and that 10% is built on native wrapped libraries which are generated off every release. MS has the infrastructure and investment like no ad or book store would ever.

Re: Why did Airbnb dump React Native? (2021)

#80

Post by junon »

trevyn wrote: post #77
hitekker wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> antiquated languages and frameworks Yikes, I hope you're not calling Kotlin or Swift antiquated. That's utterly false.

Swift = effectively proprietary = antiquated.

That's some interesting logic.
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