React Native for Android

Re:React Native for Android by GrinningFool on Monday September 14, 2015 @05:34PM (#10217646)

    > This not a big deal when pushing layout around a webpage, 
    > but it can be crippling for app development as the app 
    > grows in complexity and you crave native-quality 
    > interactions

Even on the fastest phones, web-based (including wrapped web components) simply don't offer the native experience. They come close, but there's always a slight but perceptible performance difference; and often a visual difference depending on what you're using.

I realize people really like the theoretical write-once behavior that you get for simple apps when using a javascript platform, but I've been waiting for years for web-based interactions to provide native quality - and I begin to suspect we'll never get there.

If you want native-quality interactions, the only solution is a native application and not common tooling via a javascript layer that runs atop the already not-as-performant-for-UI browser level. This makes your life harder as a developer, but gives your users the best possible experience for their platform.

Alternatively, if you're willing to give your users a good-but-less-than-native-quality experience, that's the niche filled by those tools.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:React Native for Android by thekingshorses on Monday September 14, 2015 @08:41PM (#10218348)

I used to think same way, but 99% of your user won’t feel that way.

My hacker news app is a hybrid app. Available on iOS/Android/Windows/Mac and web, and I harldy see any one compalining about not being native.

There are some legit issues and peole think only way to fix is go native. Only reason I have not fixed those issues because I don’t have time, or I don’t use that functinality.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:React Native for Android by boundlessdreamz on Tuesday September 15, 2015 @12:23AM (#10218935)

I use the app on Android and it's the best HN app on Android but at times it is obvious that it is not native and it has some issues as you said. What I have encountered are

1. I get an error message "Unable to load xxxx" at times (forgot the exact message) and the app closes.

2. If I switch between article/comments it always reloads

3. At times clicking on the comments icon doesn't work when you are in article mode.

4. I can't long press on links in comments to share it to browser/pocket etc

Compared to reddit apps like Relay, the HN app does feel much more basic.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:React Native for Android by rilut on Tuesday September 15, 2015 @02:34AM (#10219264)

Also the slide animations when I push the back button feels sluggish in my phone

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:React Native for Android by windsurfer on Monday September 14, 2015 @07:40PM (#10218178)

> Even on the fastest phones, web-based (including wrapped web components) simply don't offer the native experience. They come close, but there's always a slight but perceptible performance difference

Honestly I used to believe this, but not after the release of the iPhone 5 and 6. Though there is no perceptible difference, it takes a lot of work to mimic the UI in terms of animations, opacity, and response actions, so most apps just use the default web technology which include things like a built-in 300ms delay, no response to clicking a link, etc.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:React Native for Android by SomeCallMeTim on Tuesday September 15, 2015 @12:55PM (#10221687)

> it takes a lot of work to mimic the UI in terms of animations, opacity, and response actions,

Which is already done for you in Ionic -- including disabling the 300ms delay.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:React Native for Android by kbutler on Tuesday September 15, 2015 @04:45PM (#10223058)

I'd like to believe that, but can you cite some web-app or webview-based example applications?

[ Parent | on HN ]