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I won't download your app. The web version is a-ok

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Re: I won't download your app. The web version is a-ok

#171

Post by adzm »

cush wrote: post #120
tuckerman wrote: post #70

The site that irks me the most here is New York Times. Opening an article in the mobile browser often has a toast over the bottom third of the article to open it in their app for "a better experience". I struggle to think how nytimes isn't a perfect fit for a site over an app. The only frustrating experience I have with the web version that would be better in the app is not seeing that that pop-up.

NYT occasionally uses fancy interactive articles. They have games, and other things that are better on the app. The NYT app is actually very good

Every time I end up trying an app for things like this, I end up missing tabs.

Re: I won't download your app. The web version is a-ok

#173

Post by libria »

happytoexplain wrote: post #64

My experience might be the minority, but I have found that 95% of the time, when an app is available on both web and native mobile, the native mobile version is significantly better - usually not because it's a fantastic app or has more features, but rather because the web version is more buggy/slow/confusing. Whether I prefer an app to be web or native is purely based on the use case (I probably would choose native…

> when an app is available on both web and native mobile, the native mobile version is significantly better

Did you read the article? One of the author's main points is this is a deliberate result by vendors.

Re: I won't download your app. The web version is a-ok

#174

Post by w4rh4wk5 »

happyopossum wrote: post #32
8cvor6j844qw_d6 wrote: post #13

Web browser is a sandbox by default. Worst a sketchy site does is eat a tab, less if you run an adblocker. Native app? Background processes, hardware ID shenanigans, your contacts, location. The whole buffet.

> your contacts, location. The whole buffet. It's not like an app is getting those without your knowledge, and many times it's useful for an app to have your contacts or location...

I'd argue it's absolutely ludicrous to give _other people's information_ up to an app (or website). Your contacts contain names, phone numbers, potentially photos and addresses of _other people_.

Re: I won't download your app. The web version is a-ok

#175

Post by wky »

jedberg wrote: post #24

While I sympathize with the author, and feel the same way, I think Apple/Google have some blame here. They make certain simple things only possible in the apps, because the APIs are not exposed via the web. Notifications is a big obvious one. Not sure if they've changed it since I last looked into it, but having an app installed was the only way to send a notification to someone for a long time.

[dead]

Re: I won't download your app. The web version is a-ok

#176

Post by mysterydip »

technojamin wrote: post #147
btilly wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's not new. I read a UI book in the early 2000s that cited research showing that most users didn't understand filesystems. They would seem to, but then the idea that the same filename in two places was two unrelated files would just lead to a mental block. Those who got it, didn't find it hard. It's just that some people can't get it. The disconnect is not between some developers, and the younger folks. It is bet…

I think that's perfectly understandable. File systems require the user to remember a hierarchy in their head (even if there are tools like breadcrumbs to help you out), and many people aren't willing or aren't able to hold an arbitrarily complex structure like that in their head. A name is a flat piece of information, no extra structure to imagine.

I worked with a professor one time that used floppies for all his files (after they had been surpassed by thumbdrives) because each floppy was essentially a single folder, and he could wrap his head around that conceptually.

Re: I won't download your app. The web version is a-ok

#177

Post by bryankaplan »

btilly wrote: post #130
karimf wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This. I posted this on my other comment, but there's a meme that "Gen Z Kids Don't Understand How File Systems Work" [0]. There seems to be a disconnect between some developers and the younger folks. [0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30253526

That's not new. I read a UI book in the early 2000s that cited research showing that most users didn't understand filesystems. They would seem to, but then the idea that the same filename in two places was two unrelated files would just lead to a mental block. Those who got it, didn't find it hard. It's just that some people can't get it. The disconnect is not between some developers, and the younger folks. It is bet…

Did they also struggle to understand that some people have the same name yet are not the same person?

Re: I won't download your app. The web version is a-ok

#178

Post by Imustaskforhelp »

KellyCriterion wrote: post #144
Imustaskforhelp wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Most of folks on HN here are much older than todays "first customers" of 16y/17/18 17yo here, I know that I might be a bit of an exception here but atleast within my privacy conscious friend circle, I feel like they prefer websites more than apps and I feel like that plays an impact, (Obviously this might make a difference as well that for some of my generation, they only use phone so phone applications feel more i…

> I feel like they prefer websites more than apps The fact that you are here on HN tells me: You and your friends are tech savy, most in your age are not :-) Edit: Regarding monetization -> yes, either carrier billing (if available) or just by iTunes account is much much easier and higher conversion, just becaues of the fact that people do not have to remember their payment details :-D

I mentioned privacy savvy friends because most of my friends aren't privacy savvy :D

I can only count two (one offline, my former classmate/friend who we studied together for 11 years from KG to 10th grande) and some other people

I have convinced my same offline friend I mentioned to use Linux, specifically hyprland so its a win :D

> most in your age are not :-)

So I agree in that sense. To be honest. I am saying out of all my friend/peer/former classmate circle, only 1-2 people are some that I consider to be privacy conscious.

Re: I won't download your app. The web version is a-ok

#180

Post by KellyCriterion »

nkrisc wrote: post #159
btilly wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's not new. I read a UI book in the early 2000s that cited research showing that most users didn't understand filesystems. They would seem to, but then the idea that the same filename in two places was two unrelated files would just lead to a mental block. Those who got it, didn't find it hard. It's just that some people can't get it. The disconnect is not between some developers, and the younger folks. It is bet…

I think a lot more people than most HN readers realize simply struggle significantly with abstract thinking and reasoning. It's natural that people who enjoy programming and hacking and related fields are very comfortable with such abstract types of thought. But I really think that isn't all that common amongst most people. I think the average person has to learn such thinking abilities with difficulty (though they c…

> I'm sure many people here got into programming precisely because abstract thinking came easily to them.

Counter here: When I wanted to switch from TurboPascal during school (14y/15y) to C++ (because it was "more cool" and that was the tool that the 'big boy' game-dev-pros were, we thought), it was so damn hard for me - really! I was struggling so massivly, I head massive problems with this pointer stuff - it took me years to fully understand it.

And I was hell-bad at math in school (or maybe just too lazy), the only thing to which I a relation was all this geometric stuff (because this was needed for .. game dev! :-D )

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