4 ms·

> If there is one good thing about web apps, it’s that browsers are now the application run time and browsers are more cross platform than any software librarie

> If there is one good thing about web apps, it’s that browsers are now the application run time and browsers are more cross platform than any software libraries that have come before it. I'd take every day a native app running locally over a web app. And I am a web developer.

EVa5I7bHFq9mnYK 3y ago
I have a native app (VS) and a web app (VSC) running side by side on my computer, its like an adult vs 7y old.
- KronisLV 3y ago
  > I have a native app (VS) and a web app (VSC) running side by side on my computer, its like an adult vs 7y old. Honestly, VSC is pretty decent due to all of the engineering MS put into it. Brackets and Atom both were way slower and had noticeable input lag, at least for me. Other people have also looked into things like that: https://pavelfatin.com/typing-with-pleasure/ https://pavelfatin.com/typing-with-pleasure/ Personally, something like Notepad++ or Lazarus always felt the fastest to me. Software like JetBrains IDEs, their Fleet editor, Visual Studio and even Visual Studio code all had noticeable hiccups but always seemed "fast enough". Even when the typing itself was okay, there'd be stuff like autocomplete delays/stuttering and refactoring slowdown, but nothing too annoying. In contrast, Brackets, Atom, working through SSH, remote sessions through RDP/VNC or any device that lagged due to being underpowered always was annoying slow and disruptive.
holoduke 3y ago
Not anymore. Last gen phones have enough performance to run webapps without a single loss in performance, look and feel compared to native apps. Native apps will remain, but you see more and more SPAs wrapped in a hybrid app still maintaining a 'native'look. Costs of developing webapps is dramatically lower. Although native knowledge is still required for Auth, billing, advertising and other required native stuff.
- jacquesm 3y ago
  It's not just loss in performance, it's also loss of your data and control over that data.
  - GranPC 3y ago
    This is not inherent to web apps though, is it? Free software web apps without vendor lock-in exist.
    - jacquesm 3y ago
      They do, but they are the exception, not the rule. The bulk of the free software that I use I use locally, in fact I don't think I use even a single package that is a free software web app that is operated by some third party and if it were then I probably would try to find an alternative.
- ksala_ 3y ago
  I still have to see a single webapp that is as performant and feels the same as a native one. We might get there, and lots of companies are happy to release a half-backed webapp today, but that is definitely not the experience today.
  - holoduke 3y ago
    Render speed of browser engines is really good these days on mobile phones. Getting fluid animations is maybe even easier and faster with css than with the Android sdk or ios. Plenty of frameworks out there to create nice SPAs. Some parts still have to be native like Auth, billing etc. But majority of the app can be web.
    - deleted 3y ago
      [deleted]
  - talldatethrow 3y ago
    I could post a mini saas that I made in php and mysql, using jQuery on the front end, that outperforms just about any webapp and most modern local apps, but I don't want to attract too much attention because I'm sure technically it's easily breakable to pros and malicious people. Also, it runs on a $4 a month namecheap server. Why is so fast? Because I came from the land of slow crms, and performance was my #1 goal. Instead of making it faster to develope, I made it faster for the end user. Is that a worthwhile business goal? I don't know. But I know it's fast.
pjmlp 3y ago
Same here, have done a mix of native and Web for 30+ years, and when it comes to chose, if there is a native app available, I'll take that.

EVa5I7bHFq9mnYK 3y ago

I have a native app (VS) and a web app (VSC) running side by side on my computer, its like an adult vs 7y old.

KronisLV 3y ago
> I have a native app (VS) and a web app (VSC) running side by side on my computer, its like an adult vs 7y old. Honestly, VSC is pretty decent due to all of the engineering MS put into it. Brackets and Atom both were way slower and had noticeable input lag, at least for me. Other people have also looked into things like that: https://pavelfatin.com/typing-with-pleasure/ https://pavelfatin.com/typing-with-pleasure/ Personally, something like Notepad++ or Lazarus always felt the fastest to me. Software like JetBrains IDEs, their Fleet editor, Visual Studio and even Visual Studio code all had noticeable hiccups but always seemed "fast enough". Even when the typing itself was okay, there'd be stuff like autocomplete delays/stuttering and refactoring slowdown, but nothing too annoying. In contrast, Brackets, Atom, working through SSH, remote sessions through RDP/VNC or any device that lagged due to being underpowered always was annoying slow and disruptive.

holoduke 3y ago

Not anymore. Last gen phones have enough performance to run webapps without a single loss in performance, look and feel compared to native apps. Native apps will remain, but you see more and more SPAs wrapped in a hybrid app still maintaining a 'native'look. Costs of developing webapps is dramatically lower. Although native knowledge is still required for Auth, billing, advertising and other required native stuff.

jacquesm 3y ago
It's not just loss in performance, it's also loss of your data and control over that data.
- GranPC 3y ago
  This is not inherent to web apps though, is it? Free software web apps without vendor lock-in exist.
  - jacquesm 3y ago
    They do, but they are the exception, not the rule. The bulk of the free software that I use I use locally, in fact I don't think I use even a single package that is a free software web app that is operated by some third party and if it were then I probably would try to find an alternative.
ksala_ 3y ago
I still have to see a single webapp that is as performant and feels the same as a native one. We might get there, and lots of companies are happy to release a half-backed webapp today, but that is definitely not the experience today.
- holoduke 3y ago
  Render speed of browser engines is really good these days on mobile phones. Getting fluid animations is maybe even easier and faster with css than with the Android sdk or ios. Plenty of frameworks out there to create nice SPAs. Some parts still have to be native like Auth, billing etc. But majority of the app can be web.
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
- talldatethrow 3y ago
  I could post a mini saas that I made in php and mysql, using jQuery on the front end, that outperforms just about any webapp and most modern local apps, but I don't want to attract too much attention because I'm sure technically it's easily breakable to pros and malicious people. Also, it runs on a $4 a month namecheap server. Why is so fast? Because I came from the land of slow crms, and performance was my #1 goal. Instead of making it faster to develope, I made it faster for the end user. Is that a worthwhile business goal? I don't know. But I know it's fast.

pjmlp 3y ago

Same here, have done a mix of native and Web for 30+ years, and when it comes to chose, if there is a native app available, I'll take that.