Web vs. native: let’s concede defeat • Hacker News Board

Re: Web vs. native: let’s concede defeat

#11

Post by pdpi » Tue, May 26, 2015, 11:10 AM UTC

datashovel wrote: post #4

This post leads me to believe the author probably assumes there will always only be a handful of native platforms. I think, if we're lucky, the ecosystem will be far more diverse. In the future I envision, noone in their right mind would ever think native is the way to go.

Answer me this: What is the point of a plethora of platforms, if nobody in their right mind develops native?

Re: Web vs. native: let’s concede defeat

#12

Post by wolf550e » Tue, May 26, 2015, 11:11 AM UTC

frou_dh wrote: post #10

onion2k wrote: post #5

Unless you're making something that needs really good performance (3D gaming for example) building a hybrid app wins every time. Something based on Cordova (eg PhoneGap, Ionic) with Crosswalk can get you to about 90% of the performance of a native app, with about 1/2 of the development time because it's all built with web technology. 90% is easily good enough for most applications. Cordova wraps a uiWebView in some b…

Is a "win" for the developer necessarily a win for the users? Whose experience takes precedence?

If cost of developing app is halved, many more apps will be built. The choice is often not between "expensive native app" and "cheap hybrid app", it's between "why is it so expensive? but I can afford this (hybrid app)" and "no way that's too expensive (native app)".

Re: Web vs. native: let’s concede defeat

#13

Post by 72deluxe » Tue, May 26, 2015, 11:12 AM UTC

onion2k wrote: post #5

Unless you're making something that needs really good performance (3D gaming for example) building a hybrid app wins every time. Something based on Cordova (eg PhoneGap, Ionic) with Crosswalk can get you to about 90% of the performance of a native app, with about 1/2 of the development time because it's all built with web technology. 90% is easily good enough for most applications. Cordova wraps a uiWebView in some b…

Developing for native does not always take twice as long. I would write a desktop C++ app faster than attempting to write a web app and wrap it in desktop runtime capability.

If you're not used to writing desktops apps, yes it will take longer.

Re: Web vs. native: let’s concede defeat

#14

Post by orthoganol » Tue, May 26, 2015, 11:12 AM UTC

So, the OP is adverse to the JavaScript single page app fad, because in his opinion it is overly complicated to try to get a web app to behave like a native app, and instead should embrace its "weby-ness"? Is he just thinking about developers who have to use the tools he does not like, or the consumer experience side of it too?

Re: Web vs. native: let’s concede defeat

#15

Post by iLoch » Tue, May 26, 2015, 11:13 AM UTC

onion2k wrote: post #5

Unless you're making something that needs really good performance (3D gaming for example) building a hybrid app wins every time. Something based on Cordova (eg PhoneGap, Ionic) with Crosswalk can get you to about 90% of the performance of a native app, with about 1/2 of the development time because it's all built with web technology. 90% is easily good enough for most applications. Cordova wraps a uiWebView in some b…

I'm using React Native as a web developer who wants to create a native app. Native performance with the familiarity and simplicity of web devlopment. I don't know why anyone would build a Cordova app anymore.

Re: Web vs. native: let’s concede defeat

#16

Post by weego » Tue, May 26, 2015, 11:13 AM UTC

frou_dh wrote: post #10

onion2k wrote: post #5

Unless you're making something that needs really good performance (3D gaming for example) building a hybrid app wins every time. Something based on Cordova (eg PhoneGap, Ionic) with Crosswalk can get you to about 90% of the performance of a native app, with about 1/2 of the development time because it's all built with web technology. 90% is easily good enough for most applications. Cordova wraps a uiWebView in some b…

Is a "win" for the developer necessarily a win for the users? Whose experience takes precedence?

If you need to get to market, then it could well be a win for both. If you then have significant traction and resources and still think 90% is good enough, well then, that's your risk to take as a business. Personally I feel that 90% is only good enough to get you started and there is a tipping point where user experience necessitates quality over business optimisations (shortcuts).

Re: Web vs. native: let’s concede defeat

#17

Post by landmark2 » Tue, May 26, 2015, 11:14 AM UTC

rant of the day

Re: Web vs. native: let’s concede defeat

#18

Post by ramblerman » Tue, May 26, 2015, 11:14 AM UTC

iLoch wrote: post #15

onion2k wrote: post #5

Unless you're making something that needs really good performance (3D gaming for example) building a hybrid app wins every time. Something based on Cordova (eg PhoneGap, Ionic) with Crosswalk can get you to about 90% of the performance of a native app, with about 1/2 of the development time because it's all built with web technology. 90% is easily good enough for most applications. Cordova wraps a uiWebView in some b…

I'm using React Native as a web developer who wants to create a native app. Native performance with the familiarity and simplicity of web devlopment. I don't know why anyone would build a Cordova app anymore.

does react native support android yet?

Re: Web vs. native: let’s concede defeat

#19

Post by mozumder » Tue, May 26, 2015, 11:15 AM UTC

The web works best as a document platform. All the UI tricks that web developers work on all end up managing something related to just browsing/reading a document. It's amazing that modern browsers/HTML just don't have this basic user experience down.

Why is it virtually impossible to read long articles on a web browser? After 25 years, why do web designers need to create their own page transition mechanics for long-form articles, for example, when the basic purpose of the web is designed for reading documents? Why weren't multi-page transitions built in by default?

The same with photo galleries - after 25 years, why isn't there a standard user experience for viewing photos related to articles? Why are there a million JQuery photo gallery plugins?

In fact, why do we need to write CSS to create a basic readable document in the first place? Why doesn't HTML/CSS default to a high-end and legible reader experience out-of-the-box for basic text? (proper fonts & spacings, limiting column widths to 8-15 words max, etc..)

The reader-mode that web browsers are building in, that should be the default standard UX for HTML, and CSS should build upon that. But instead, it's a non-standard option.

Re: Web vs. native: let’s concede defeat

#20

Post by jevgeni » Tue, May 26, 2015, 11:15 AM UTC

pdpi wrote: post #11

datashovel wrote: post #4

This post leads me to believe the author probably assumes there will always only be a handful of native platforms. I think, if we're lucky, the ecosystem will be far more diverse. In the future I envision, noone in their right mind would ever think native is the way to go.

Answer me this: What is the point of a plethora of platforms, if nobody in their right mind develops native?

This was just quick and brutal. :D