Who does serious work on a phone? I have found app-only experiences that cover looking for a job, looking for a house, doing accounting/personal finances. How can you even stay organized or do any meaningful data entry on a phone?
I won't download your app. The web version is a-ok
531–540 of 599 posts
Re: I won't download your app. The web version is a-ok
#532Earlier quoted context omitted.
> But today, the very first touchpoint with "the internet" for younger folks is a smartphone display. The even do homework on this small screens! I saw a tweet recently that perfectly encapsulates this: for most people over 30, certain things are "big screen tasks". I use my phone for a lot, but for some things I put the phone down and use my computer instead. I am most comfortable using a large screen and a keyboard…
This isn't phone vs desktop. It's app vs browser . To wit, there's no official HN app. I'm presuming you did both of these tasks in a browser.
TBH it's pretty much synonyms nowadays web app/website=desktop, app=smartphone
Re: I won't download your app. The web version is a-ok
#533Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Exactly! Esp if you just move away "one tile" from tech/IT or business-power-users, most people are more or less clueless what they are doing/have to do with a computer. I don't think so. A majority don't want to. But they are forced by geeks/nerds. Geeks/nerds often show off especially in family/friends parties with older/common folk - telling - I can do this/that. Then average CEO or parent is forced to get a sma…
I think this is missing that older people are not stupid, and they could learn how to use software if they spent the time. Many older folks used even more complicated software in the past, and then they lost the skill or didn't keep it up to date. A lot of older people rely on yougins for tech support not because they have to, but because it's easy learned helplessness. A large part of this is ALSO software's fault,…
> A lot of older people rely on yougins for tech support not because they have to, but because it's easy learned helplessness.
Already as young guy in 20's I've found this also works with female government bureaucrats (tax bureau, etc.), who are usually older women at least in their 50s and exploiting their natural maternal instinct. They will be much more laidback about your paperwork and will help you to fill it, if you just pretend to be helpless/stupid little kid they need to help.
OTOH I've found if you need to bend the rules, you are much more likely to succeed with (older) man bureaucrat who wanna show off he doesn't need to follow the rules to the T, but he can use some leeway and help you, while women will strictly follow the rules.
Obviously the young female bureaucrat in her 20-30s is best to be avoided and rather take new number and wait in queue for older female/male worker if possible.
So there are two approaches suitable depending on situation you are dealing with.
Re: I won't download your app. The web version is a-ok
#534That's my stance as well. Unless the website is completely broken or the devs force me to download the app by blocking features on the website I prefer the web. With responsive design becoming mainstream I'm fine with using my browser for 90% of my internet work. In some cases like Google docs it's painful to use the web version so I just use the app. EDIT: I wish they'd add a console to mobile web browsers though.
As a developer, I resent having to go beg for permission for getting my app published. It just rubs me the wrong way to have to play approval roulette with some bored jerk working for Apple or Google. I've had both reject things that were previously alright, then weren't, and then were again. I default to building web applications. Actually getting people to install your special app is in any case a race to the botto…
> It just rubs me the wrong way to have to play approval roulette with some bored jerk working for Apple or Google. I've had both reject things that were previously alright, then weren't, and then were again.
As someone who worked on this "jerk" position (first as tier 1, (T2 was team lead), later promoted to small team tier 3s to actually judge the ambigous cases and discus enforcing the rules with the store head honcho) before they downsized our team from 200 to 20 people through multiple rounds by automating the system, it was not really up to me to decide whether app will pass or not.
We had to follow strictly the rules, if you would not follow them and someone found through random check you have issues, even if I though many of these rules were stupid and I was frustrated to have to reject app for stupid reasons.
And you are not allowed to reach to the dev outside the system to let them know how to circumvent the system and tell them the reason why their app was rejected. If you try to do this, dev will still reach to the company saying someone told him this, they will investigate it and find out it was you and you are again in trouble for trying to help the dev fight the stupid rules.
Re: I won't download your app. The web version is a-ok
#535I ran into the same “friends are too nice / surveys are too vague” problem and what helped was testing my landing page copy with people who don’t know me at all. I’ve been using TractionWay to throw up a few headline/message variations and get 4–5 brutally honest takes back in a few hours, plus they flag folks who’d actually want to hear more so I’m not just collecting opinions in a vacuum.
Re: I won't download your app. The web version is a-ok
#536What most people dont get: Most of folks on HN here are much older than todays "first customers" of 16y/17/18 For them: The "Smartphone is the internet", while for most of us the "Smartphone is an extension of the internet from our desktops" that we were used to (remember the years before dot com bubble, saying: "I will be down in the basement at the computer to surf on the net little bit" ? :-) But today, the very f…
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Re: I won't download your app. The web version is a-ok
#537Earlier quoted context omitted.
I’ve been trying a bit of an experiment on my current trip and I’m still skeptical about iPad plus Magic Keyboard. Better than alternatives but still so-so. I think I’ll go back to my 10+ year old MacBook Pro but unless something really changes I’ll just pick up an Air for traveling at some point.
I switched to using my iPad Pro M5 + Magic Keyboard nearly full time. I use it for literally everything and also have it connected to an external monitor. The only asterisk is that I also own a Mac Mini but I keep it attached running headlessly to my router and access it from the iPad via Jump Desktop and only use it exclusively for dev work (I only use a single external monitor anyway even with a normal Mac) or if I…
Certainly the Magic Keyboard is way better than any alternatives I’ve seen. Have tried to give it a good shot but maybe just haven’t tried hard enough and default back to what I’m used to.
When I get home need to ponder a bit more because some gear is very old or was declared to be unsalvageable after smoke damage from a kitchen fire.
Re: I won't download your app. The web version is a-ok
#538Slightly tangential but is there a way to download a PWA permanently on a mobile device and have it remain indefinitely even if the upstream site goes offline or changes?
Every time I try to load a PWA on my phone from my dev laptop, it breaks after a few weeks (days?) for no obvious reason. I investigated this for a bit but eventually gave up and went the electron/wrapper app route.
If we can find a real fix for this stupid issue, I would be more than happy to focus on PWAs.
Re: I won't download your app. The web version is a-ok
#539Re: I won't download your app. The web version is a-ok
#540I wonder what happened to PWAs