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Why should a web browser be able to send notifications? Why are we overloading web browsers to do more and more things? I get that transferring data over the in

Why should a web browser be able to send notifications? Why are we overloading web browsers to do more and more things? I get that transferring data over the internet is king, but surely we can devise better user interfaces than bloated browsers, etc?

phantomathkg 6y ago
Why not? Why must an app be written natively?
- EvilEy3 6y ago
  Because it offers superior experience.
  - onion2k 6y ago
    Apps don't (or shouldn't) need to be native to offer a good user experience.
    - saagarjha 6y ago
      But often writing them natively does do this.
    - EvilEy3 6y ago
      Yes they need and should be native, if you don't want to reinvent OS integration yourself.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
paulmd 6y ago
Web browsers are essentially an inner platform now. Instead of taking the time to develop native apps, or even to write using cross-platform frameworks, developers prefer to trade performance/security/privacy for developer time. It's really just an acceleration of a trend that has been going on for decades (Wirth's Law) but Web 2.0 is hip and cool. You're not writing some lumbering dog of a Java application (write once run anywhere!), you're agile and using React and web sockets, you're one of the cool kids (writing a lumbering dog of a Javascript application). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inner-platform_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inner-platform_effect All in all, building out applications using cross-platform frameworks seems to be a far better solution for end users, and not significantly worse in terms of developer velocity, but I think there are other reasons they are not adopted, primarily that the web makes it far easier to invade privacy and deploy dark patterns, while that behavior typically is checked by the app store approval process for "native" or cross-platform applications.
- natchy 6y ago
  > the web makes it far easier to invade privacy and deploy dark patterns, while that behavior typically is checked by the app store Disagree. One reason sites want me to use their app is because I can’t block trackers. I wont use native apps if there is a web alternative BECAUSE i value privacy.
  - Volt 6y ago
    What trackers? Apps are sandboxed, so they shouldn't be able to track you.
endless1234 6y ago
>Why should a web browser be able to send notifications? Why not? Web browsers are not just for reading text based articles. Most use a calendar, email, perhaps some kind of chat app through their browser. Aren't these and other similar use cases good reasons for notifications to exist?

phantomathkg 6y ago

Why not? Why must an app be written natively?

EvilEy3 6y ago
Because it offers superior experience.
- onion2k 6y ago
  Apps don't (or shouldn't) need to be native to offer a good user experience.
  - saagarjha 6y ago
    But often writing them natively does do this.
  - EvilEy3 6y ago
    Yes they need and should be native, if you don't want to reinvent OS integration yourself.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]

paulmd 6y ago

Web browsers are essentially an inner platform now. Instead of taking the time to develop native apps, or even to write using cross-platform frameworks, developers prefer to trade performance/security/privacy for developer time. It's really just an acceleration of a trend that has been going on for decades (Wirth's Law) but Web 2.0 is hip and cool. You're not writing some lumbering dog of a Java application (write once run anywhere!), you're agile and using React and web sockets, you're one of the cool kids (writing a lumbering dog of a Javascript application). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inner-platform_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inner-platform_effect All in all, building out applications using cross-platform frameworks seems to be a far better solution for end users, and not significantly worse in terms of developer velocity, but I think there are other reasons they are not adopted, primarily that the web makes it far easier to invade privacy and deploy dark patterns, while that behavior typically is checked by the app store approval process for "native" or cross-platform applications.

natchy 6y ago
> the web makes it far easier to invade privacy and deploy dark patterns, while that behavior typically is checked by the app store Disagree. One reason sites want me to use their app is because I can’t block trackers. I wont use native apps if there is a web alternative BECAUSE i value privacy.
- Volt 6y ago
  What trackers? Apps are sandboxed, so they shouldn't be able to track you.

endless1234 6y ago

>Why should a web browser be able to send notifications? Why not? Web browsers are not just for reading text based articles. Most use a calendar, email, perhaps some kind of chat app through their browser. Aren't these and other similar use cases good reasons for notifications to exist?