8 ms·

Native will always be the best solution... Because it's native.

by IloveHN84 8y ago

tyingq 8y ago
Technically best doesn't always win the market. I'd love not writing 3 versions of every piece of functionality.
- AnIdiotOnTheNet 8y ago
  How's that working out when there's more than one browser you have to account for? What's the difference between polyfill or some framework, and something like Qt or SDL? Or I suppose we could just all use chromium, but we could also just all use Windows.
  - tyingq 8y ago
    I have to write it for the web already. Writing a native Android and a native iOS app is additive if the web version is "good enough". There's no scenario where I only have to write two native apps. Perhaps there is for other people.
    - AnIdiotOnTheNet 8y ago
      Consider that maybe there are uses for software where the web isn't necessary and isn't even the first choice. You're a hammer, so everything is a nail. The reality is that the web is a horrible choice for a whole lot of things. It's a document platform with parts of an application platform shoe-horned in and bolted on, and the result looks like a garbage fire to people who come from the land of native software.
      - tyingq 8y ago
        I'm not sure I understand why browsers getting closer to native apps ruins anything for anyone else. You're still able to hammer your nails however you want.
  - ken 8y ago
    > What's the difference between polyfill or some framework, and something like Qt or SDL? As a user, I usually can't even tell when they're using a polyfill on the web (except when they stop, like GitHub did with type=date). (As a developer, I often can't tell the difference, either. Some of them are that good!) So long as you generate HTML/CSS/JS, it doesn't matter to me how you do it. That's as 'native' to the web as you can get. I can spot Qt a mile away. A lot of the visuals look wrong and a lot of the controls don't behave right. It's frustrating to use, and I always slow way down and double-check my work because, e.g., popup menus show the 'accept' animation even when you cancel them.
    - AnIdiotOnTheNet 8y ago
      > I can spot Qt a mile away. A lot of the visuals look wrong and a lot of the controls don't behave right. You mean it has no respect for your native toolkit... just like the web?
      - deleted 8y ago
        [deleted]
      - tyingq 8y ago
        "just like the web" How true is that? I was under the impression that for Android and iOS, Chrome used the native widgets for most things.
        tedunangst 8y ago
        How many SPAs use native controls with minimal styling?
- leadingthenet 8y ago
  You're just externalising the time you save as a cost to your users.
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
  - tyingq 8y ago
    It's equally possible you're doing the same thing by forcing users to download a native app. It's kind of hard to talk about in the abstract. Some things work better in an app, for other things it adds nothing notable.
- mycall 8y ago
  Have you tried Angular+NativeScript? one piece for all (minus UWP).
- WrtCdEvrydy 8y ago
  > not writing 3 versions of every piece of functionality. React Native and ReactJS are a move in the right direction. I wonder if we'll get React NativeJS
  - tomduncalf 8y ago
    Not sure exactly what you mean by React NativeJS but perhaps React Native for Web (https://github.com/necolas/react-native-web https://github.com/necolas/react-native-web) is along the lines of what you are thinking? Works remarkably well. It’s already used for Twitter’s mobile site
- Midnightas 8y ago
  wxWidgets would help with that.
- criddell 8y ago
  I'm sure it's nice for you, but users like me aren't happy that every mouse move and page load is cataloged and studied and shared with partners. At least with a native app I can add a firewall rule to restrict it's ability to use the internet.
  - jhall1468 8y ago
    Users like you represent a tiny, tiny minority. The majority of people couldn't care less about google tracking their mouse movements.
    - criddell 8y ago
      I'm guessing you don't live in the EU.
    - noisem4ker 8y ago
      The majority of people are not aware that someone is tracking their mouse movements.
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
pmlnr 8y ago
Except when all your content comes through the pipe, in which case native is just a glorified iframe.
hombre_fatal 8y ago
Native has downsides too, like having almost zero control over the client and being unable to link other people like you can on the web. Just a bunch of silos by design. Native is only a trade-off that has great performance at other expenses.
saagarjha 8y ago
Not always. There are times when you don’t want to download an app for every little thing, though the opportunity to be able to do so is nice. There’s a reason we have browsers and not just everything coming through in its own individual app.
collyw 8y ago
Web is best because it is platform independent.

Native will always be the best solution... Because it's native.

tyingq 8y ago

Technically best doesn't always win the market. I'd love not writing 3 versions of every piece of functionality.

AnIdiotOnTheNet 8y ago
How's that working out when there's more than one browser you have to account for? What's the difference between polyfill or some framework, and something like Qt or SDL? Or I suppose we could just all use chromium, but we could also just all use Windows.
- tyingq 8y ago
  I have to write it for the web already. Writing a native Android and a native iOS app is additive if the web version is "good enough". There's no scenario where I only have to write two native apps. Perhaps there is for other people.
  - AnIdiotOnTheNet 8y ago
    Consider that maybe there are uses for software where the web isn't necessary and isn't even the first choice. You're a hammer, so everything is a nail. The reality is that the web is a horrible choice for a whole lot of things. It's a document platform with parts of an application platform shoe-horned in and bolted on, and the result looks like a garbage fire to people who come from the land of native software.
    - tyingq 8y ago
      I'm not sure I understand why browsers getting closer to native apps ruins anything for anyone else. You're still able to hammer your nails however you want.
- ken 8y ago
  > What's the difference between polyfill or some framework, and something like Qt or SDL? As a user, I usually can't even tell when they're using a polyfill on the web (except when they stop, like GitHub did with type=date). (As a developer, I often can't tell the difference, either. Some of them are that good!) So long as you generate HTML/CSS/JS, it doesn't matter to me how you do it. That's as 'native' to the web as you can get. I can spot Qt a mile away. A lot of the visuals look wrong and a lot of the controls don't behave right. It's frustrating to use, and I always slow way down and double-check my work because, e.g., popup menus show the 'accept' animation even when you cancel them.
  - AnIdiotOnTheNet 8y ago
    > I can spot Qt a mile away. A lot of the visuals look wrong and a lot of the controls don't behave right. You mean it has no respect for your native toolkit... just like the web?
    - deleted 8y ago
      [deleted]
    - tyingq 8y ago
      "just like the web" How true is that? I was under the impression that for Android and iOS, Chrome used the native widgets for most things.
      - tedunangst 8y ago
        How many SPAs use native controls with minimal styling?
leadingthenet 8y ago
You're just externalising the time you save as a cost to your users.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- tyingq 8y ago
  It's equally possible you're doing the same thing by forcing users to download a native app. It's kind of hard to talk about in the abstract. Some things work better in an app, for other things it adds nothing notable.
mycall 8y ago
Have you tried Angular+NativeScript? one piece for all (minus UWP).
WrtCdEvrydy 8y ago
> not writing 3 versions of every piece of functionality. React Native and ReactJS are a move in the right direction. I wonder if we'll get React NativeJS
- tomduncalf 8y ago
  Not sure exactly what you mean by React NativeJS but perhaps React Native for Web (https://github.com/necolas/react-native-web https://github.com/necolas/react-native-web) is along the lines of what you are thinking? Works remarkably well. It’s already used for Twitter’s mobile site
Midnightas 8y ago
wxWidgets would help with that.
criddell 8y ago
I'm sure it's nice for you, but users like me aren't happy that every mouse move and page load is cataloged and studied and shared with partners. At least with a native app I can add a firewall rule to restrict it's ability to use the internet.
- jhall1468 8y ago
  Users like you represent a tiny, tiny minority. The majority of people couldn't care less about google tracking their mouse movements.
  - criddell 8y ago
    I'm guessing you don't live in the EU.
  - noisem4ker 8y ago
    The majority of people are not aware that someone is tracking their mouse movements.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]

pmlnr 8y ago

Except when all your content comes through the pipe, in which case native is just a glorified iframe.

hombre_fatal 8y ago

Native has downsides too, like having almost zero control over the client and being unable to link other people like you can on the web. Just a bunch of silos by design. Native is only a trade-off that has great performance at other expenses.

saagarjha 8y ago

Not always. There are times when you don’t want to download an app for every little thing, though the opportunity to be able to do so is nice. There’s a reason we have browsers and not just everything coming through in its own individual app.

collyw 8y ago

Web is best because it is platform independent.