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Almost. Web apps and native apps are very different beasts, and AIR makes a noble attempt to bridge the gap. The difference is that users expect web apps to act
by spiralganglion 16y ago
Almost. Web apps and native apps are very different beasts, and AIR makes a noble attempt to bridge the gap. The difference is that users expect web apps to act like web apps; a little bit of latency between input and visual feedback has always been the status quo (and it's getting much better). Native apps are supposed to react instantaneously, and behave consistently, and respect certain OS-wide UI conventions, accessibility features, and so forth. If the app stutters when being resized, or if there are lags in the interaction, semi-savvy users will assume that the app is poorly coded while the non-technical will be less satisfied without the ability to understand or express why.
- statictype 16y agoI get what you're saying - but I have doubts about whether non-technical users care enough about those differences, glaring though they may be. On the other hand, I guess non-technical users don't even have a concept of 'web apps'. They're just web sites which provide some useful service.
- spiralganglion 16y agoYou might toss this off as the "buzz" factor, but a possible indicator of layman-users being affected by these subtle frustrations is the surging number of average users switching to the Mac. And besides, everyone can see lag. My dad uses that term correctly, and he can't even tell the difference between "email" and "outlook".