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Markup and javascript are simply too slow to generate crisp, engaging user interfaces. To do that, you need a plugin, which is a)not portable and b) not functi

Markup and javascript are simply too slow to generate crisp, engaging user interfaces. To do that, you need a plugin, which is a)not portable and b) not functionally different from an iOS or Android app. Can you load a web app and its attendant plugins from any old web site? Sure. But by the time you figure out how to monetize the app via some clearinghouse, you've pretty much got the equivalent of an app store, albeit without the clean search and publication tools available to such a store. The bottom line, though, is that the idea of totally portable, script- and markup-driven apps has been a complete failure so far, and is unlikely to change much in the future. Hard coded apps--albeit with increasingly sophisticated porting and distribution tools--are here to stay.

SoftwareMaven 15y ago
Hard coded apps--albeit with increasingly sophisticated porting and distribution tools--are here to stay. The last 30 years have shown us computing oscillates between thin clients and heavy clients. I have no reason to believe that will change; we just don't know what the next catalyst will be. I firmly believe it is not Google's web app marketplace (insert joke about app store trademark here ;).
doublerebel 15y ago
The slowness is not in the JS and markup itself, but because in the past the rendering engines (browsers) didn't know how to interpret most of the JS calls as defined UI changes. With requestAnimationFrame, CSS animations, and WebGL this is changing -- Browsers are now being told directly which code is UI-specific, so it can be accelerated with hardware and the timing can be synchronized. Translating JS into these more 'native' UI calls across multiple devices and software stacks is already shown as profitable with tools like Appcelerator (iOS, Android, BB, Desktop) and PhoneGap -- which appear native to the average user. Also don't forget that internally the Mozilla suite and many other desktop 'native' apps are built largely with JavaScript, not to mention Palm's WebOS. JS itself is very fast and creating fluid UIs was always possible with a native wrapper (or plugin, as you mention) but now that the tech is making its way into the average browser we will be seeing more and more 'crisp' interfaces on 'average' websites. 'Hard coded' apps will always have their place, but look out: many portable, JS-driven apps are very successful, and are already changing the future. Many people who just think of JS as browser script are being left behind.
MatthewPhillips 15y ago
The web is full of great, crisp user interfaces, and no one questions that. It's just that they don't run (as well) on mobile devices. That's a function of the devices and their software; not the technologies of the web. Projecting that to continue indefinitely seems short-sighted.

SoftwareMaven 15y ago

Hard coded apps--albeit with increasingly sophisticated porting and distribution tools--are here to stay. The last 30 years have shown us computing oscillates between thin clients and heavy clients. I have no reason to believe that will change; we just don't know what the next catalyst will be. I firmly believe it is not Google's web app marketplace (insert joke about app store trademark here ;).

doublerebel 15y ago

The slowness is not in the JS and markup itself, but because in the past the rendering engines (browsers) didn't know how to interpret most of the JS calls as defined UI changes. With requestAnimationFrame, CSS animations, and WebGL this is changing -- Browsers are now being told directly which code is UI-specific, so it can be accelerated with hardware and the timing can be synchronized. Translating JS into these more 'native' UI calls across multiple devices and software stacks is already shown as profitable with tools like Appcelerator (iOS, Android, BB, Desktop) and PhoneGap -- which appear native to the average user. Also don't forget that internally the Mozilla suite and many other desktop 'native' apps are built largely with JavaScript, not to mention Palm's WebOS. JS itself is very fast and creating fluid UIs was always possible with a native wrapper (or plugin, as you mention) but now that the tech is making its way into the average browser we will be seeing more and more 'crisp' interfaces on 'average' websites. 'Hard coded' apps will always have their place, but look out: many portable, JS-driven apps are very successful, and are already changing the future. Many people who just think of JS as browser script are being left behind.

MatthewPhillips 15y ago

The web is full of great, crisp user interfaces, and no one questions that. It's just that they don't run (as well) on mobile devices. That's a function of the devices and their software; not the technologies of the web. Projecting that to continue indefinitely seems short-sighted.