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It's reasonable because users typically run more than one OS: - phone - home desktop/laptop device - tablet - workstation These are not powered by a single

by judah 3y ago

It's reasonable because users typically run more than one OS: - phone - home desktop/laptop device - tablet - workstation These are not powered by a single OS, yet users want apps that run on all their devices. That's a big reason why we continue to invest in the web. There are economic reasons as well: many developer shops can't afford to have multiple, OS-specific versions of their apps. Why build a Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android version of your app, when a single web version will run everywhere?

treyd 3y ago
Except you can write all your important business logic in cross platform languages as a core library and significantly reduce the effort to port it to different platforms. This is especially true for foss projects where you can rely on domain experts to port yo platforms you don't personally use. Look at the success of libtorrent.
PaulDavisThe1st 3y ago
Building a mobile and desktop version of your app will be challenging unless it's a very simple application or unless you accept that they likely will share very, very little code or design. The form factors and UI models are so different. Even doing this with the web is extremely challenging, again unless the application is relatively simple. Creative apps in particular do not "port" between these two contexts very well at all, whether you use the web or not. Yes, such things exist, but it is very debatable whether the desktop users of e.g. Figma have much use for the same thing in a mobile browser.
isodev 3y ago
But then the web is a workaround for technical challenges and instead of refining the platforms we have to achieve these needs, we’re… rebuilding it all from scratch in the browser. The worst part is that the web isn’t immune to the same issues, they just present slightly differently. We still have gatekeeping, web app/extension stores, unbalanced browser market where one vendor is doing whatever they want, DRM, browser services overriding the user’s experience etc. Also, making cheap “app” that sort of opens on any platform is not the same as making an app that’s truly adapted to a specific form factor or OS.

by judah 3y ago

treyd 3y ago

Except you can write all your important business logic in cross platform languages as a core library and significantly reduce the effort to port it to different platforms. This is especially true for foss projects where you can rely on domain experts to port yo platforms you don't personally use. Look at the success of libtorrent.

PaulDavisThe1st 3y ago

Building a mobile and desktop version of your app will be challenging unless it's a very simple application or unless you accept that they likely will share very, very little code or design. The form factors and UI models are so different. Even doing this with the web is extremely challenging, again unless the application is relatively simple. Creative apps in particular do not "port" between these two contexts very well at all, whether you use the web or not. Yes, such things exist, but it is very debatable whether the desktop users of e.g. Figma have much use for the same thing in a mobile browser.

isodev 3y ago

But then the web is a workaround for technical challenges and instead of refining the platforms we have to achieve these needs, we’re… rebuilding it all from scratch in the browser. The worst part is that the web isn’t immune to the same issues, they just present slightly differently. We still have gatekeeping, web app/extension stores, unbalanced browser market where one vendor is doing whatever they want, DRM, browser services overriding the user’s experience etc. Also, making cheap “app” that sort of opens on any platform is not the same as making an app that’s truly adapted to a specific form factor or OS.