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Comment by interpol_p

9 years ago

It's possible. I still use web apps (e.g., Slack client on macOS). But I dislike them compared to good native apps, mostly due to their lack of consistency with the platform and general sluggishness.

If I'm using a web app and not realising it, then I would happily keep using that app. I do not think I am, though.

Also, there are plenty of native apps which are terrible and not consistent with the platform. I do not like to use those either.

I get your point and do have a strong preference towards native apps too.

But there are other important factors to consider. I was working on a B2B app where users could see graphs and maps of a construction site in real time. The users were extremely happy how fast we could implement and release change requests and bug fixes. It was an ionic app. As far as I know, performance or lack of OS integration was never a problem. At the end of the day it's about choosing the right tool for the task.

  • They were happy because 80/100 is better than 0/100.

    But how much happier would they be with 100/100. Just because you feed your guests chicken and they like it doesn’t mean that they would not like lobster more.

    A good MacOS or Windows Dev can move just as fast as a web developer trying to make fake-native apps.

    • Yes, but one platform at a time. We served updates to Android and iOS users almost simultaneously. Again, I usually prefer native, non GCed apps. But I also don't try to fix problems where there are none.

      If Android and iOS made it easier to share middleware libraries (C++ is a second class citizen for both), I think there would be a smaller incentive for HTML5 apps.

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