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Well, I think this is really hyperbolic. I think it depends on the application, and the consumer. And the web is a tremendous success. You should take a step ba

Well, I think this is really hyperbolic. I think it depends on the application, and the consumer. And the web is a tremendous success. You should take a step back and look at how your entire life is affected by the web. It seems really, really off the mark to say that the web is not a success. You can criticize it, sure. But - you are using a computer 100% because of the web, not because of spreadsheet software. Now, back to web vs. native. You just have people who prefer either. I exclusively use apps. I think the experience is better in every way, and I've never seen a web application deliver comparable experience to a native app. But, almost every native app is backed by a web server. And, some things I do want to remain web apps, like Wikipedia. I think the web community overall looks at native apps like they are some weird, alien technology because they're completely blinded by what they build and what tools they use. Like always, if we understood why users enjoy native apps, we could learn a lot of things. I'd argue that we are learning that, which is why there are lots of SPAs. That doesn't mean that's the only way to build software, it just means that people do actually enjoy that experience.

paulryanrogers 6y ago
> I think the web community overall looks at native apps like they are some weird, alien technology because they're completely blinded by what they build and what tools they use. There is some everything-looks-like-a-nail but that's not all. I'm making a native desktop app now which is slow going. Every platform I want to support is so different, and cross-platform tooling often requires branching and learning each ones quirks anyway. Just making an Electron/ReactNative app is often the best of both worlds should a website not suffice. (Excluding concerns like battery life, app size, or memory footprint.)
gowld 6y ago
There's a distinction to make between "the web is successful" and "the web has made humans successful". We've paid a tremendous privacy and security cost, and a loss of control over our online lives.
Guidii 6y ago
"I exclusively use apps." Curious. Did you post this using a native app?
- ric2b 6y ago
  Not the person you're responding to but there are plenty of HN native app clients, if that's what you're getting at. On my mobile I never access HN via the website, I use one of those apps.
rado 6y ago
FB's 5" of page load is a miserable failure that makes me question what I am doing here.

paulryanrogers 6y ago

> I think the web community overall looks at native apps like they are some weird, alien technology because they're completely blinded by what they build and what tools they use. There is some everything-looks-like-a-nail but that's not all. I'm making a native desktop app now which is slow going. Every platform I want to support is so different, and cross-platform tooling often requires branching and learning each ones quirks anyway. Just making an Electron/ReactNative app is often the best of both worlds should a website not suffice. (Excluding concerns like battery life, app size, or memory footprint.)

gowld 6y ago

There's a distinction to make between "the web is successful" and "the web has made humans successful". We've paid a tremendous privacy and security cost, and a loss of control over our online lives.

Guidii 6y ago

"I exclusively use apps." Curious. Did you post this using a native app?

ric2b 6y ago
Not the person you're responding to but there are plenty of HN native app clients, if that's what you're getting at. On my mobile I never access HN via the website, I use one of those apps.

rado 6y ago

FB's 5" of page load is a miserable failure that makes me question what I am doing here.