Your 'app' could have been a webpage (so I fixed it for you) • Hacker News Board

Re: Your 'app' could have been a webpage (so I fixed it for you)

#11

Post by catapart » Tue, Jul 14, 2026, 11:39 AM UTC

Fantastic work! It's always nice to see the method, in case anything is out there making this stuff easier. But the result is the real prize. There's way too much nonsense out there that is an app when it should be a webpage. I'm so tired of all of these apps.

One criticism, though: I wish you would have made a simple form-based alternative to the app's population mechanism, rather than just make the one-off consumer for yourself(/those you shared with). Definitely way more work and not something you should have to do. But that would have been a cherry on top. Not only prevent needing the app for viewing, but also removing future incentive for an organization turning to an app like that in the first place.

Re: Your 'app' could have been a webpage (so I fixed it for you)

#12

Post by jorisw » Tue, Jul 14, 2026, 11:39 AM UTC

forlorn wrote: post #9

datakan wrote: post #4

We were supposed to be in the age of PWAs. That was the initial plan for iOS before the app store and 30% cuts on subscription apps. Most web apps suck too though so I guess pick your poison. My strong belief is they want apps because they can spam you with notifications to get your attention.

They want apps so they could fingerprint your device, spy on you and get a lot more information than a web app.

Sure. They. They want. You know who they are, and what they want.

Re: Your 'app' could have been a webpage (so I fixed it for you)

#13

Post by jorisw » Tue, Jul 14, 2026, 11:40 AM UTC

datakan wrote: post #4

We were supposed to be in the age of PWAs. That was the initial plan for iOS before the app store and 30% cuts on subscription apps. Most web apps suck too though so I guess pick your poison. My strong belief is they want apps because they can spam you with notifications to get your attention.

> they want

Who are 'they' and how do you know what they want

Re: Your 'app' could have been a webpage (so I fixed it for you)

#14

Post by jorisw » Tue, Jul 14, 2026, 11:41 AM UTC

echoangle wrote: post #10

smallpipe wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Casting from the web doesn’t work (on iOS at least) but that’s all I can think of.

AirPlay should work for every native video element, or do you mean something like chromecast?

YouTube obfuscates the native video by removing the controls.

Vinegar is a Safari extension that fixes that on iOS and macOS. May exist for other browsers as well.

Re: Your 'app' could have been a webpage (so I fixed it for you)

#15

Post by pluralmonad » Tue, Jul 14, 2026, 11:42 AM UTC

jorisw wrote: post #13

datakan wrote: post #4

We were supposed to be in the age of PWAs. That was the initial plan for iOS before the app store and 30% cuts on subscription apps. Most web apps suck too though so I guess pick your poison. My strong belief is they want apps because they can spam you with notifications to get your attention.

> they want Who are 'they' and how do you know what they want

The people deciding between delivering their payload via app or web page. Engagement hacking is not something we have to guess that ad companies want.

Re: Your 'app' could have been a webpage (so I fixed it for you)

#16

Post by datakan » Tue, Jul 14, 2026, 11:43 AM UTC

jorisw wrote: post #13

datakan wrote: post #4

We were supposed to be in the age of PWAs. That was the initial plan for iOS before the app store and 30% cuts on subscription apps. Most web apps suck too though so I guess pick your poison. My strong belief is they want apps because they can spam you with notifications to get your attention.

> they want Who are 'they' and how do you know what they want

The developer of the apps obviously.

Re: Your 'app' could have been a webpage (so I fixed it for you)

#17

Post by viaredux » Tue, Jul 14, 2026, 11:43 AM UTC

Amazing. Love the dedication to fix this minor annoyance, which I also share. Would be great if there was a kind of universal tool for this, as I am sure many of those shitty apps share the same internals.

Re: Your 'app' could have been a webpage (so I fixed it for you)

#18

Post by billyp-rva » Tue, Jul 14, 2026, 11:43 AM UTC

> I can’t understand how we got to this place with “app culture”!

The short version: ad blockers work on browsers but not apps[0].

[0] https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/30/go-nuts-meine-kerle

Re: Your 'app' could have been a webpage (so I fixed it for you)

#19

Post by snapcaster » Tue, Jul 14, 2026, 11:43 AM UTC

jorisw wrote: post #13

datakan wrote: post #4

We were supposed to be in the age of PWAs. That was the initial plan for iOS before the app store and 30% cuts on subscription apps. Most web apps suck too though so I guess pick your poison. My strong belief is they want apps because they can spam you with notifications to get your attention.

> they want Who are 'they' and how do you know what they want

Why this gaslighting? obviously the massive companies with vested interest in monetizing your attention and data

Re: Your 'app' could have been a webpage (so I fixed it for you)

#20

Post by jorisw » Tue, Jul 14, 2026, 11:43 AM UTC

pluralmonad wrote: post #15

jorisw wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> they want Who are 'they' and how do you know what they want

The people deciding between delivering their payload via app or web page. Engagement hacking is not something we have to guess that ad companies want.

Ad companies now. Just one sentence earlier you said it's people 'delivering their payload'.