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I like the idea, but I wonder if it will ever take off. So many "build in your preferred language, publish to some other" platforms have been released, it is ha

I like the idea, but I wonder if it will ever take off. So many "build in your preferred language, publish to some other" platforms have been released, it is hard to keep track. I will admit that html+css is a relatively good (set of) language(s) to describe a UI, and JS is the way to tie the dynamism together and provide client-side logic. But is it better than just learning the native version for each platform?

troymc 12y ago
I try to keep track of all those platforms, and you're right, it's hard. My findings are summarized at http://www.mobilechameleon.com/ http://www.mobilechameleon.com/ (hosted for free by Weebly, a YC alum).
- fokinsean 12y ago
  Holy shit I never realized how many hybrid app frameworks there are. Nice site by the way.
  - pbreit 12y ago
    Well, it appears there are only 2 in the most interesting category: Titanium and NativeScript. My sense is that it's surprising we still don't have a decent way to build native apps in JavaScript. Titanium looked like the answer but I have trouble following where they're going. NativeScript looks promising so far but cannot figure out the tie-in to Telerik.
    - pjmlp 12y ago
      Because many of us only touch it in the browser?
  - 13years 12y ago
    There is also Tabris.js
    - troymc 12y ago
      Oh, nice; I added it to my site.
- WhitneyLand 12y ago
  What a nice site. A small but useful curation presented in a very simple and clean way. Btw, you may need an addition for Swift, I believe there is at least one cross platform tool for it now.
  - troymc 12y ago
    Good idea. I added a page at http://www.mobilechameleon.com/toolkits-using-swift.html http://www.mobilechameleon.com/toolkits-using-swift.html
basiliothecat 12y ago
I doubt this or other solutions built by a for-profit businesses in a seemingly open fashion will go far. Facebook is a different case and having some hands on experience with current players, believe them coming up with a better engineered solution. As for the general concerns, i can add that it's not just 'i know JavaScript and don't want to learn anything else', but rather having some common ground while building products/services on the web. It's probably ok for a big company to support say 3 platforms (web, android & ios), but hardly an option for a small startup or a one man band. Now i'd be more than happy to just stick with web, or at least the solutions bringing the others closer to it (that's by the way where Titanium is pretty weak).
pbreit 12y ago
There are remarkably few where preferred_language=JavaScript. This, Titanium and perhaps React.

troymc 12y ago

I try to keep track of all those platforms, and you're right, it's hard. My findings are summarized at http://www.mobilechameleon.com/ http://www.mobilechameleon.com/ (hosted for free by Weebly, a YC alum).

fokinsean 12y ago
Holy shit I never realized how many hybrid app frameworks there are. Nice site by the way.
- pbreit 12y ago
  Well, it appears there are only 2 in the most interesting category: Titanium and NativeScript. My sense is that it's surprising we still don't have a decent way to build native apps in JavaScript. Titanium looked like the answer but I have trouble following where they're going. NativeScript looks promising so far but cannot figure out the tie-in to Telerik.
  - pjmlp 12y ago
    Because many of us only touch it in the browser?
- 13years 12y ago
  There is also Tabris.js
  - troymc 12y ago
    Oh, nice; I added it to my site.
WhitneyLand 12y ago
What a nice site. A small but useful curation presented in a very simple and clean way. Btw, you may need an addition for Swift, I believe there is at least one cross platform tool for it now.
- troymc 12y ago
  Good idea. I added a page at http://www.mobilechameleon.com/toolkits-using-swift.html http://www.mobilechameleon.com/toolkits-using-swift.html

basiliothecat 12y ago

I doubt this or other solutions built by a for-profit businesses in a seemingly open fashion will go far. Facebook is a different case and having some hands on experience with current players, believe them coming up with a better engineered solution. As for the general concerns, i can add that it's not just 'i know JavaScript and don't want to learn anything else', but rather having some common ground while building products/services on the web. It's probably ok for a big company to support say 3 platforms (web, android & ios), but hardly an option for a small startup or a one man band. Now i'd be more than happy to just stick with web, or at least the solutions bringing the others closer to it (that's by the way where Titanium is pretty weak).

pbreit 12y ago

There are remarkably few where preferred_language=JavaScript. This, Titanium and perhaps React.