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Actually, I think the case for web gets even more compelling with Meteor, where you can really share components across both sides of the wire. As I alluded to

Actually, I think the case for web gets even more compelling with Meteor, where you can really share components across both sides of the wire. As I alluded to at the end, the web case makes a lot of sense for companies with unique services who want to roll out across platforms. e.g. If you're a corporate insurance broker, you have a few hundred users who just want some conveniences from native apps, that's a good case for HTML5. Another example I saw recently is an agency making "viral" apps. Just one-time apps for short contests and so on, and they can do a great job with HTML5. Deep-level integration though needs native, whether you like Obj-C or not.

ilaksh 13y ago
Yes Meteor is very amazing. Of course they have another HTML5 thing in WebRTC that when it becomes well supported (actually fairly soon in Firefox and Chrome) has peer-to-peer data capabilities that for many applications supersede server-based models. Of course, I know that for some applications, that won't be workable, and there are problems to solve, but I believe that most of the problems with synchronization and data ownership have reasonable solutions in peer environments. I am still hoping that PhoneGap/Cordova will work out ok for my next 'native' app. Have you found that it isn't adequate?
- mmahemoff 13y ago
  I'm the OP, so yes, I found it inadequate :). For a podcast app, even using PhoneGap (rather than browser-based web app) would lead to several issues: * Hard or impossible to do rich, interactive widgets, notifications, and lock-screen in HTML5 * Unclear path for downloading and saving large files. (Might be possible, but again would need native bridges or native code; forget about Ajax and offline HTML5 storage.) * Mediocre UI. If you work hard at it, you can build a reasonable UI, but one of the feedbacks we got from reviews and reporters is how they like the way we implemented Android's Holo look-and-feel. A lot of people feel an emotional attachment to their OS and appreciate apps that fit within the guidelines.

ilaksh 13y ago

Yes Meteor is very amazing. Of course they have another HTML5 thing in WebRTC that when it becomes well supported (actually fairly soon in Firefox and Chrome) has peer-to-peer data capabilities that for many applications supersede server-based models. Of course, I know that for some applications, that won't be workable, and there are problems to solve, but I believe that most of the problems with synchronization and data ownership have reasonable solutions in peer environments. I am still hoping that PhoneGap/Cordova will work out ok for my next 'native' app. Have you found that it isn't adequate?

mmahemoff 13y ago
I'm the OP, so yes, I found it inadequate :). For a podcast app, even using PhoneGap (rather than browser-based web app) would lead to several issues: * Hard or impossible to do rich, interactive widgets, notifications, and lock-screen in HTML5 * Unclear path for downloading and saving large files. (Might be possible, but again would need native bridges or native code; forget about Ajax and offline HTML5 storage.) * Mediocre UI. If you work hard at it, you can build a reasonable UI, but one of the feedbacks we got from reviews and reporters is how they like the way we implemented Android's Holo look-and-feel. A lot of people feel an emotional attachment to their OS and appreciate apps that fit within the guidelines.