Re:Mobile development with HTML5
by dreamdu5t on Friday August 26, 2011 @01:25PM
(#2929150)
It's not that making native-looking apps in plain JS isn't worth it – it's not possible unless you're only targeting iPhone.
There may be a place for jQuery, but stay away from Sencha Touch. It's a huge library, and barely runs on any device but an iphone. Don't be fooled by their slick marketing and examples.
Essentially, trying to replicate a native app in JS is a losing battle, unless your app is extremely simplistic. The majority of smartphones are simply too underpowered to replicate a native experience.
Aim for a site like http://m.twitter.com instead of trying to replicate a native experience. Test on real devices you intend to support as soon as possible, even if you've barely written the app.
There may be a place for jQuery, but stay away from Sencha Touch. It's a huge library, and barely runs on any device but an iphone. Don't be fooled by their slick marketing and examples.
Essentially, trying to replicate a native app in JS is a losing battle, unless your app is extremely simplistic. The majority of smartphones are simply too underpowered to replicate a native experience.
Aim for a site like http://m.twitter.com instead of trying to replicate a native experience. Test on real devices you intend to support as soon as possible, even if you've barely written the app.