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Write code for the web

mrmr.io

71–80 of 364 posts

Re: Write code for the web

#71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So tired of junk apps cluttering up my phone and tablet. Examples: There's a parking station near me that has an app, the library photocopier has an app. Could all be done on the web.

I also don't understand why a parking meter needs an app, it should have a QR code>web>stripe payment (or a text to pay), rather than 2 buggy apps on iPhone and Android, which require data to download

I’ve heard stories of people putting fake QR codes linking to fake payment portals for parking. I don’t think an app solves this problem though.

https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2022/01/fake-qr-codes...

Re: Write code for the web

#72
post #2

Apple provides thousands of APIs to make developing on the platform easier, has created their own programming language that integrates nicely with the platform and has a fully integrated IDE that works with both above. Sure, buddy… They don’t care about you unless you develop for their platform. And who can blame? The above is a terribly expensive and timely investment.

They don't develop those APIs out of the goodness of their heart - it's a lock in strategy. They've made it practically impossible to write native cross platform code that runs on IOS, and they've everything they can (within political limits) to prevent web apps from being able to compete with native apps.

Many apps have a cross platform C++ back end

Re: Write code for the web

#73
post #45

Early on, I made the choice to not to invest in learning native mobile development. I focused all my limited time on the web, and I think that, for once, I made the right choice. Today, one can build amazing stuff for the browser. And, in my very humble opinion, the vast majority of apps should've been WebApps — except for maybe Uber, Google Drive, and games. I worked in the journalism business, and, in my country, t…

PWAs, especially those built with an offline-first approach, are so much closer to the native experience than those from half a decade ago. However what concerns me is Google's and Apple's incentives to help them get better to a point where they can rival native apps which could hit their bottom line.

Google and Apple should be regulated to offer the same functionality and performance to the web. Their grip on the most important technology of the century is astounding and harmful.

Honestly first-class web mobile installs without hoops and scare walls would be the thing to strive for.

Re: Write code for the web

#76
post #54
post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

PWAs, especially those built with an offline-first approach, are so much closer to the native experience than those from half a decade ago. However what concerns me is Google's and Apple's incentives to help them get better to a point where they can rival native apps which could hit their bottom line.

I think you meant Google's and Apple's incentives to make them (PWAs) worse...

My understanding is that there is a lot of political power inside Google (from the Chrome side of things) working to ensure that PWAs are the primary way that users interact with their phones. It's definitely a point of contention, with pressure on both sides, but there is a balance there.

Apple on the other hand is only incentivized to funnel everyone through their App Store, and for some ridiculous reason, app developers use this to justify going all in on native apps, which I think is what this article is addressing.

Re: Write code for the web

#77
post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> This was some years ago This is probably worse today, they're all the time throwing more roadblocks to avoid people to publish apps in their "ecosystem", except if you're a large US company that can easily handle the paperwork.

I have never understood how Apple gets away with it and even more than that gets a huge amount of love. Whereas, if Microsoft just looks at you wrong, pitchforks are out. I'm not cheerleading any company here, but it has been frustrating in my career where people absolutely refuse to touch or even consider anything Microsoft related but love their Apple computer. Apple is probably hundreds of times more agressive, mo…

> Whereas, if Microsoft just looks at you wrong, pitchforks are out.

Not to nitpick, but Microsoft looking wrong at you is more like the Eye of Sauron looking wrong at you.

Just pointing to the gigantic amount of dark patterns on Microsoft products, especially Windows.

Re: Write code for the web

#78
> The dependency goes Developer -> Apple and Apple -> Consumer, there is no reverse arrow from Apple to the developers.

The App Store gets a developer’s apps in front of a huge audience and significantly simplifies distribution and billing and so forth. People complain the cut is high to use the App Store which is probably valid.

Re: Write code for the web

#79
This author seems confused about something that he, himself explains. The reason that Apple doesn't care about developers is that they have created such a walled garden cult w/ users that developers are forced to produce products for their platform or they lose half their market -- or more.

At my day job in mobile game development (for a small studio inside a large company), we have to fight Apple constantly -- not only on tech issues but on policies and approvals, too. But offering a mobile game without a way to run it on iOS would be unthinkable, so we comply.

In many ways, Microsoft's original strategy for the PC was the exact opposite. It catered to developers and provided copious documentation, examples, and tooling for devs. The companies behind those devs were, themselves, motivated to make software for MS and, in turn, to promote and sell it. The tidal wave of individual developers making Windows software (think back to the shelves at computer stores) is what created the desktop OS that still rules the roost.

Re: Write code for the web

#80
post #51
post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"I tried developing on , actively avoided using their tools and tech, and the experience sucked because nothing I tried was supported."

It wasn't that it was not supported. It is that Apple is openly antagonistic to and actively blocks anything that isn't theirs. And you also left out key information. I don't have any issues with the same development on Windows or Linux. Apple is the outlier and isn't doing some reasonable thing. Apple is by far the most troublesome platform to develop for. They literally make you do it their way, and you cannot reco…

I generally agree with you, but on the other side of the coin, if you follow the processes they’re forcing on you… it’s pretty seamless. Sometimes it’s a bit buggy when they release new APIs or versions of tooling, but given the amount of people who do Native development and the money it generates, it gets resolved.
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