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Why would a web version be better than an app if you're using it on a phone? (Honest question, I'm just curious.) Most people say they dislike app clutter, but

by pzh 10y ago

Why would a web version be better than an app if you're using it on a phone? (Honest question, I'm just curious.) Most people say they dislike app clutter, but then they have to keep a browser bookmark (or bookmark icon) anyway, which is the same amount of clutter. The only reason I can see is that you'd have one less app annoying you with updates, but a browser version has its own set of problems--e.g. unreliable maintenance of state, inconsistencies between browsers, random breakages due to ad blockers kicking in, etc...

geekamongus 10y ago
Those issues (unreliable maintenance of state, inconsistencies between browsers) are for the developers to worry about, not the end user. Desktop versions should be as equally important as mobile, especially when you are talking about generating and sharing content.
freehunter 10y ago
Apps have access to things on your phone that web pages do not. Like he mentioned, web pages can't send push notifications. To the best of my knowledge, web pages can't run in the background. Web pages will also work on any device, even Windows Phone or Firefox OS or WebOS or Blackberry, etc. I don't have the Facebook app installed on my phone. Not for privacy reasons, not because the web page is better, but because the Facebook app was taking up over 300mb of my 16gb phone, and the only way I knew to get that space back was deleting the app. With a web page, I can get rid of all of its stored data and still be able to access the site. Steve Jobs was right, even if he was a bit early in his predictions. Web pages are better than apps in a lot of situations. Facebook doesn't need to be an app. Hello doesn't need to be an app. They just need good responsive web pages.
- sotojuan 10y ago
  > web pages can't send push notifications https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Push_API https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Push_API > web pages can't run in the background Ok not the same at all, but you can use web workers for background threads: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Web_Workers_API/Using_web_workers https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Web_Workers... And the above have also been used to produce offline-first applications. Unfortunately Apple has been bad at supporting these new APIs—ironic considering the last part of your comment. Google has been the best at it.
  - freehunter 10y ago
    I think you're missing my point. It doesn't matter if Firefox supports it, Safari on my iPhone does not. Native apps do support all of these annoying features. Let me give you an example. The official reddit app on my phone asks me maybe two or three times per week "Please enable push notifications". No. I don't want to do that. And I can't seem to get it to stop asking me. But on the website, in my browser, it's never asked me that. Because it can't. It's not allowed to. I'm not talking "is it technically possible from a pure theoretical standpoint", I mean in practice, is it physically possible for a web page on my iPhone to send push notifications and tear up my battery in the background? And I'm pretty sure the answer is "no". And that makes me very happy.
    - sotojuan 10y ago
      I definitely agree with you and did not mean to sound rude—I'm just sad it can be done but Apple and others won't play nice :/ Though to be honest I do prefer apps for most things, but I want the web to at least give apps a challenge.
- ocdtrekkie 10y ago
  As a Windows 10 Mobile user who was kinda curious about this social network... exactly. :)
amorphid 10y ago
Typing on my phone sucks. OK for reading. Sucks for typing. And half the time my phone is busy charging because I drained the battery. And my data plan sucks. And a desktop/laptop has plenty of storage. But mostly, typing on phone sucks.
joelthelion 10y ago
When I close the tab on my mobile browser I know it's over. When I install an app I know it can notify me at any time and decide it needs my attention. I don't want that.
Namrog84 10y ago
I almost never bookmark on my phone. And I very rarely bookmark on my pc(except for minimal hot toolbar on 'new page'). Either it's good enough I can type in 1-3 letters and it appears via recent appear or I forget about it because it didn't provide enough value. E. G. Whenever I visit this site I just type n then enter because I frequent it enough and browser maintains this. But other sites fall off my radar. I deem them not worthy. Also when I do ok occasion bookmark(I never look at my bookmarks,excdpt when doing a transfer to new machine or phone and I wonder what all these bookmarks are for and I click a few. Then realizing if site is alive that it holds little to no value or interest for me anymore) In addition I minimize apps downloads(loss of info, clutter, etc..)

by pzh 10y ago

geekamongus 10y ago

Those issues (unreliable maintenance of state, inconsistencies between browsers) are for the developers to worry about, not the end user. Desktop versions should be as equally important as mobile, especially when you are talking about generating and sharing content.

freehunter 10y ago

Apps have access to things on your phone that web pages do not. Like he mentioned, web pages can't send push notifications. To the best of my knowledge, web pages can't run in the background. Web pages will also work on any device, even Windows Phone or Firefox OS or WebOS or Blackberry, etc. I don't have the Facebook app installed on my phone. Not for privacy reasons, not because the web page is better, but because the Facebook app was taking up over 300mb of my 16gb phone, and the only way I knew to get that space back was deleting the app. With a web page, I can get rid of all of its stored data and still be able to access the site. Steve Jobs was right, even if he was a bit early in his predictions. Web pages are better than apps in a lot of situations. Facebook doesn't need to be an app. Hello doesn't need to be an app. They just need good responsive web pages.

sotojuan 10y ago
> web pages can't send push notifications https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Push_API https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Push_API > web pages can't run in the background Ok not the same at all, but you can use web workers for background threads: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Web_Workers_API/Using_web_workers https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Web_Workers... And the above have also been used to produce offline-first applications. Unfortunately Apple has been bad at supporting these new APIs—ironic considering the last part of your comment. Google has been the best at it.
- freehunter 10y ago
  I think you're missing my point. It doesn't matter if Firefox supports it, Safari on my iPhone does not. Native apps do support all of these annoying features. Let me give you an example. The official reddit app on my phone asks me maybe two or three times per week "Please enable push notifications". No. I don't want to do that. And I can't seem to get it to stop asking me. But on the website, in my browser, it's never asked me that. Because it can't. It's not allowed to. I'm not talking "is it technically possible from a pure theoretical standpoint", I mean in practice, is it physically possible for a web page on my iPhone to send push notifications and tear up my battery in the background? And I'm pretty sure the answer is "no". And that makes me very happy.
  - sotojuan 10y ago
    I definitely agree with you and did not mean to sound rude—I'm just sad it can be done but Apple and others won't play nice :/ Though to be honest I do prefer apps for most things, but I want the web to at least give apps a challenge.
ocdtrekkie 10y ago
As a Windows 10 Mobile user who was kinda curious about this social network... exactly. :)

amorphid 10y ago

Typing on my phone sucks. OK for reading. Sucks for typing. And half the time my phone is busy charging because I drained the battery. And my data plan sucks. And a desktop/laptop has plenty of storage. But mostly, typing on phone sucks.

joelthelion 10y ago

When I close the tab on my mobile browser I know it's over. When I install an app I know it can notify me at any time and decide it needs my attention. I don't want that.

Namrog84 10y ago

I almost never bookmark on my phone. And I very rarely bookmark on my pc(except for minimal hot toolbar on 'new page'). Either it's good enough I can type in 1-3 letters and it appears via recent appear or I forget about it because it didn't provide enough value. E. G. Whenever I visit this site I just type n then enter because I frequent it enough and browser maintains this. But other sites fall off my radar. I deem them not worthy. Also when I do ok occasion bookmark(I never look at my bookmarks,excdpt when doing a transfer to new machine or phone and I wonder what all these bookmarks are for and I click a few. Then realizing if site is alive that it holds little to no value or interest for me anymore) In addition I minimize apps downloads(loss of info, clutter, etc..)