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As someone that works for an organisation that develops almost 100% desktop applications and desktop form-factor web applications, I've been somewhat terrified

As someone that works for an organisation that develops almost 100% desktop applications and desktop form-factor web applications, I've been somewhat terrified of the new entrants into the workforce that started on phones as opposed to computers. It seems like nobody is taking their existence and eventual assumption of purchasing decision making powers seriously and I figure we'll suffer in the long-term as an organisation because of this. I had been trying to tell myself that people still "sit down at a desktop to do work" to make myself feel better about our inaction over this it but that github is spending on mobile form factor makes me feel like I'm lying to myself about that. What are people's general takes on this? I sway towards "in twenty years it will start to be a massive deal" but I struggle to find a convincing platform to soapbox on this to the organisation at large.

mscasts 7y ago
My take is that most companies don't need a native app unless they're specifically targeting mobile users and doesn't have a need for desktop users. So you're better off generally to make the app a web app. If that doesn't work yet, are you sure about that? With web assembly and some new browser apis it's really very few apps left that actually need the native experience. Sure if you build apps for cars, planes or something like that I understand that you want the native experience. But there is also tons of "native with an asterisk" tools like Xamarin and React Native for example. Sure the app may be a bit larger but do users really care? With those kind of technologies you can build native for all platforms easily. The choice really is up to the developers and there is lots of choices nowadays, thankfully.
- Quarrelsome 7y ago
  A lot of this is legacy which is why making the argument for change is one about expense. Its about justifying the expense by selling the hot path of the use-case of using technical applications on a phone. Everyone is sunk-cost fallacy here over the potential of mobile use-cases, they're dismissed as a use-case. I vaguely bought into the idea for a while and now github are like: > Review PRs and look at code on a mobile form factor and now I'm like: > oh, so that use-case is a thing? I'm terrified some CTO in twenty years time of an org we want to sell it to will instantly shitcan our offering because it doesn't support mobile use-cases. Because mobile is their culture and the reason we don't value it today is _only_ because mobile isn't the culture we grew up with.
  - cercatrova 7y ago
    Well, you gotta follow the market, right? If they want mobile, then you'll have to give them mobile, lest they not buy from you. What is terrifying about that, except for not wanting to change?
    - Quarrelsome 7y ago
      > What is terrifying about that Being a dinosaur and seeing a big fiery thing in the sky. Thinking maybe it'd be better to get a bit of a head start on that mammal business. But its hard to make that business case, isn't it? Thankfully this news makes it easier I guess.
      - paulryanrogers 7y ago
        Mobile apps are the mammals, i.e. the future?
        Quarrelsome 7y ago
        ye, possibly. Perhaps when everyone starts out on phone/tablet then desktops will be seen as old and archaic. I mean its a silly example but I never see people in sci-fi sit down with a mouse and keyboard. Perhaps new generations will force in new ergonomic standards?
josho 7y ago
I came to a similar realization yesterday. Many people no longer have computers at home. Instead they simply have their phone as their sole computing device.
- saagarjha 7y ago
  That being said, I think that most of the people on GitHub probably have computers at home.
  - Quarrelsome 7y ago
    Well here's my question. Do you know anyone that codes on mobile? I don't but the youngest devs I know are late twenties.
    - saagarjha 7y ago
      Yes, but they're not very young.
      - Quarrelsome 7y ago
        You DO know people that dev on mobile??? Is it their primary platform or just an acceptable downgrade during in transit or "out of office". What sort of programs do they use? Do they remote into tastier machines to run beefier programs or are there a range of IDEs for mobile? I am most intrigued.
        saagarjha 7y ago
        As far as I can tell, their preferred device is an iPhone 7 that they use to SSH into other machines that they run vim on, which they have told me that they do not think of as a "downgrade" from their main machine, a 12" MacBook (which presumably does the same thing). They're kind of strange, to be honest.
        7y ago

mscasts 7y ago

My take is that most companies don't need a native app unless they're specifically targeting mobile users and doesn't have a need for desktop users. So you're better off generally to make the app a web app. If that doesn't work yet, are you sure about that? With web assembly and some new browser apis it's really very few apps left that actually need the native experience. Sure if you build apps for cars, planes or something like that I understand that you want the native experience. But there is also tons of "native with an asterisk" tools like Xamarin and React Native for example. Sure the app may be a bit larger but do users really care? With those kind of technologies you can build native for all platforms easily. The choice really is up to the developers and there is lots of choices nowadays, thankfully.

Quarrelsome 7y ago
A lot of this is legacy which is why making the argument for change is one about expense. Its about justifying the expense by selling the hot path of the use-case of using technical applications on a phone. Everyone is sunk-cost fallacy here over the potential of mobile use-cases, they're dismissed as a use-case. I vaguely bought into the idea for a while and now github are like: > Review PRs and look at code on a mobile form factor and now I'm like: > oh, so that use-case is a thing? I'm terrified some CTO in twenty years time of an org we want to sell it to will instantly shitcan our offering because it doesn't support mobile use-cases. Because mobile is their culture and the reason we don't value it today is _only_ because mobile isn't the culture we grew up with.
- cercatrova 7y ago
  Well, you gotta follow the market, right? If they want mobile, then you'll have to give them mobile, lest they not buy from you. What is terrifying about that, except for not wanting to change?
  - Quarrelsome 7y ago
    > What is terrifying about that Being a dinosaur and seeing a big fiery thing in the sky. Thinking maybe it'd be better to get a bit of a head start on that mammal business. But its hard to make that business case, isn't it? Thankfully this news makes it easier I guess.
    - paulryanrogers 7y ago
      Mobile apps are the mammals, i.e. the future?
      - Quarrelsome 7y ago
        ye, possibly. Perhaps when everyone starts out on phone/tablet then desktops will be seen as old and archaic. I mean its a silly example but I never see people in sci-fi sit down with a mouse and keyboard. Perhaps new generations will force in new ergonomic standards?

josho 7y ago

I came to a similar realization yesterday. Many people no longer have computers at home. Instead they simply have their phone as their sole computing device.

saagarjha 7y ago
That being said, I think that most of the people on GitHub probably have computers at home.
- Quarrelsome 7y ago
  Well here's my question. Do you know anyone that codes on mobile? I don't but the youngest devs I know are late twenties.
  - saagarjha 7y ago
    Yes, but they're not very young.
    - Quarrelsome 7y ago
      You DO know people that dev on mobile??? Is it their primary platform or just an acceptable downgrade during in transit or "out of office". What sort of programs do they use? Do they remote into tastier machines to run beefier programs or are there a range of IDEs for mobile? I am most intrigued.
      - saagarjha 7y ago
        As far as I can tell, their preferred device is an iPhone 7 that they use to SSH into other machines that they run vim on, which they have told me that they do not think of as a "downgrade" from their main machine, a 12" MacBook (which presumably does the same thing). They're kind of strange, to be honest.
        7y ago