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Do not download the app, use the website

idiallo.com

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Re: Do not download the app, use the website

#481

Post by melagonster »

IshKebab wrote: post #389
tempestn wrote: post #384

At AutoTempest we resisted making an app for years, because anything that a hypothetical app could do, we could do with the website. And in my opinion, when searching for cars, it's more convenient to be in your browser where you can easily open new tabs, bookmark results, etc. And for years, it was our most requested feature, by far. We had instructions for how to pin the site to your home screen, and would explain…

Interesting. Why do you think so many websites try to foist apps on you if people will voluntarily download them anyway?

Maybe OP offers some really valuable products?

Re: Do not download the app, use the website

#482

Post by Aaargh20318 »

kelthuzad wrote: post #438
troupo wrote: post #425

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> This is the result of the inconsistent user experience to which gatekeepers like Apple have been actively contributing through active sabotage of web apps, such that all profitable apps can be more effectively and reliably taxed through Apple's App Store. If web apps were any good, we'd see a plethora of them on Android. There are none (or very, very, very few). If web apps were any good, nothing Apple "gatekeeps"…

>If web apps were any good, we'd see a plethora of them on Android. There are none (or very, very, very few). This statement alone is evidence that you didn't understand the crux of the issue. You are also confusing cause and effect. I clearly explained the root causes for that. The reason there are not more web apps is not that they aren't "good" - what does that even mean? what is the criterion for "good" here? If…

> Web Apps need to become just Apps. Apps built with the free and open web need equal treatment and integration. Closed and heavily taxed proprietary ecosystems should not receive any preference.

That basically already exists on the desktop in the form of Electron apps. Those apps are universally hated because of it.

Web technology is not suitable for making applications. It was designed to format text documents and that's all it's really good at. That's why we have the web-framework-of-the-week problem, everyone is desperately trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. Web apps are janky, fragile and feel out of place on every OS. It's a 'one size fits no one' solution.

Re: Do not download the app, use the website

#483

Post by jajko »

rplnt wrote: post #388
tempestn wrote: post #384

At AutoTempest we resisted making an app for years, because anything that a hypothetical app could do, we could do with the website. And in my opinion, when searching for cars, it's more convenient to be in your browser where you can easily open new tabs, bookmark results, etc. And for years, it was our most requested feature, by far. We had instructions for how to pin the site to your home screen, and would explain…

> People just really like apps! I would say people really hate websites on mobile. The browsers are horrible, the pages are slow and oftentimes broken in some way. You get all these popups everywhere, ads are much more intrusive. It's just bad experience, so of course people would prefer app for something they use. I avoid the browser on mobile as much as possible and I don't remember ever having a good time using it…

Thats because you don't use mobile firefox with ublock origin (on android). I very much prefer sites for stuff I do, they provide 100% of same experience, with one exception - can't easily block ads in apps.

Thus mobile is often even a better experience.

Re: Do not download the app, use the website

#484

Post by jajko »

tempestn wrote: post #384

At AutoTempest we resisted making an app for years, because anything that a hypothetical app could do, we could do with the website. And in my opinion, when searching for cars, it's more convenient to be in your browser where you can easily open new tabs, bookmark results, etc. And for years, it was our most requested feature, by far. We had instructions for how to pin the site to your home screen, and would explain…

The question is - did you notice users uptick when adding an app, or just some web users moved to it?

Re: Do not download the app, use the website

#485

Post by geokon »

tempestn wrote: post #384

At AutoTempest we resisted making an app for years, because anything that a hypothetical app could do, we could do with the website. And in my opinion, when searching for cars, it's more convenient to be in your browser where you can easily open new tabs, bookmark results, etc. And for years, it was our most requested feature, by far. We had instructions for how to pin the site to your home screen, and would explain…

Doesn't an app allow for caching which makes the whole experience much more responsive?

I think antifingerprinting means that browsers are constantly re-loading and rerendering tons and tons of resources. The web is much much slower than it could be in theory. If you have an siloed app then you don't need to worry about that and can reuse everything. You open a new tab and nearly everything displays instantly (except the different car or whatever you're displaying)

This would also decrease your network bandwidth load. So a win for you and your customers

Re: Do not download the app, use the website

#486

Post by neilalexander »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #478
zelphirkalt wrote: post #476

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most people don't know how to use a computer well. Most people are just slightly above computer-illiterate. They were introduced to phones which have apps. Now in their minds that's how everything must be. Anything else induces fear into their minds. While technically competent people might go: "Oh neat, I don't even need to install an app, if I just put the website icon onto my home screen." Most users are like: "Oh…

Using a website instead of an app isn't signaling some particularly strong computer literacy. Not that it matters - the web, both mobile and general, has been neutered so much over the years that webpages are just as useless, locked down experience siloes as apps; really the main difference in practice is the icon experience and how unobtrusive surveillance is :).

Most people can’t explain the difference between a website and an app, to them the web browser is just a more confusing construct with additional overheads (tabs/links etc).

Re: Do not download the app, use the website

#487

Post by distances »

W3zzy wrote: post #452
tempestn wrote: post #384

At AutoTempest we resisted making an app for years, because anything that a hypothetical app could do, we could do with the website. And in my opinion, when searching for cars, it's more convenient to be in your browser where you can easily open new tabs, bookmark results, etc. And for years, it was our most requested feature, by far. We had instructions for how to pin the site to your home screen, and would explain…

I would say using the web"app" give a better user experience since you always have the latest version without the need for updates. Only if offline use is possible an app would be necesarry.

There's no reason a website should be more up to date than an app. Could just as well be the other way around.

Re: Do not download the app, use the website

#488

Post by TeMPOraL »

IshKebab wrote: post #389
tempestn wrote: post #384

At AutoTempest we resisted making an app for years, because anything that a hypothetical app could do, we could do with the website. And in my opinion, when searching for cars, it's more convenient to be in your browser where you can easily open new tabs, bookmark results, etc. And for years, it was our most requested feature, by far. We had instructions for how to pin the site to your home screen, and would explain…

Interesting. Why do you think so many websites try to foist apps on you if people will voluntarily download them anyway?

Because they don't accept their website is not worth an app. Most of that long tail of businesses has a transactional relationship with users, who by very nature would ideally want to think about them as little as possible and only for the short moment of actual transaction.

In short: I do install apps of main platforms and physical shops I frequent. It's usually vastly better than a website, even if it just wraps a webview. But I don't want to install an app for every site I visit, for the same reason I don't want to go on a date with every stranger that smiles at me when I pass them by on the street.

Re: Do not download the app, use the website

#489

Post by zelphirkalt »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #478
zelphirkalt wrote: post #476

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most people don't know how to use a computer well. Most people are just slightly above computer-illiterate. They were introduced to phones which have apps. Now in their minds that's how everything must be. Anything else induces fear into their minds. While technically competent people might go: "Oh neat, I don't even need to install an app, if I just put the website icon onto my home screen." Most users are like: "Oh…

Using a website instead of an app isn't signaling some particularly strong computer literacy. Not that it matters - the web, both mobile and general, has been neutered so much over the years that webpages are just as useless, locked down experience siloes as apps; really the main difference in practice is the icon experience and how unobtrusive surveillance is :).

> Using a website instead of an app isn't signaling some particularly strong computer literacy.

I am not claiming it is. But it is different from what some people got introduced to. That's enough already to strike fear.

But what do you mean with websites have been neutered? Didn't HTML, CSS, and JS only got more capabilities over time?

Re: Do not download the app, use the website

#490

Post by neilalexander »

sylens wrote: post #312

The reason most people use apps instead of websites is that the devices they are using do not have a desktop class browser in them. iOS and iPadOS devices specifically run the mobile version of Safari which makes using modern web apps a painful experience. The one actual selling point a Microsoft Surface has over an iPad at this point is that you get to use real web browsers on it.

Your information is out-of-date. Safari on iPad has served up desktop versions of web pages by default for years now.
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