3 ms·
Nothing that can be blamed to the (web)app store, but I found it curious the overall very poor first impression experience that these small niche (or not so sma
by j1elo 3y ago
Nothing that can be blamed to the (web)app store, but I found it curious the overall very poor first impression experience that these small niche (or not so small) websites tend to offer... some have the feeling of just being an excuse prototype to be a quick grab for money / user accounts. I guess that not too unlike actual installable mobile apps, to be fair.
My experience has been:
I tried the Linear app, but couldn't see anything more than a pretty landing page before an account was required. Next.
Replit. Wanted to get a feeling of how it works, but again, just a landing page and a button that says "Start creating" but instead it should say "Log in". Next.
OpenDream: "Create original art in seconds with AI". Cool -I say to myself-, let's create a couple of crazy pictures just for fun. Oh, well, these at least don't pretend to be fancy, the login prompt appears first thing right in your face. Next.
Replika. An AI companion, so curious. But the website's only purpose is to show a "Get the app" that brings me to Play Store. Wouldn't call it a webapp. So next, I guess?
Let's have some fun with some silly phrases in VoiceMaker! But after trying it out with "Casper, Male", I just wanted a second try with "Patricia, Female", and it already prompted me and didn't let me play anything any more. Bummer. Next.
Funnily enough, the best initial experience of these webapps, by a wide margin, has been Tower Game. It just does what it promises. It's a tower game. It runs straight out, and lets you play. No fuss. 10/10, best webapp of the ones I tested!
(PS.: PromptPerfect, "Your IDE for professional prompt engineering". Wow, it's crazy that we got to need such things, the world of LLMs is running too fast for me)
- presson 3y agoThis is great feedback. There are some modifications coming that will enhance the discovery process. It's very early in our journey, so I'd encourage you (I'm biased, of course) to create an account and stay tuned for updates. We believe the web is in the early stages of a renaissance of some sort.
- troupo 3y ago> I found it curious the overall very poor first impression experience that these small niche (or not so small) websites tend to offer Because PWA is largely just hype with nothing to show for it. We've been hearing about how they are just as good or better than native apps for years now. And yes, the only thing we get are poorly packaged barely working mobile sites.
- juniperplant 3y agoAs a Linux desktop user, web apps are very much welcome. Apps like Photopea and Adobe's new Photoshop web app are things that make the Linux desktop much more viable as a platform.