This makes sense. Why can't we have something similar for web applications? Maybe browsers could add a new API to enable it? They definitely could.
I get that a lot of people think that the web is becoming obsolete or whatever, but I think they are wrong. Yes, its nice to have a native look and feel or certain native features, but its not nice to have to make four different versions of the same application implemented in different platforms. That just doesn't make sense.
The web as a platform seems to have obvious advantages, but there is some stuff missing that makes it fall short of native applications. I think that doesn't have to be the case.
I think that 1) web browser teams have to work even harder to make the web as platform a reality, taking notice of a few particular problems, and 2) native application developers should stop being so enthusiastic about reinventing the wheel with multiple implementations.
As far as the problems that web browser teams need to be more aware of:
* HTML5 (mobile) applications need to install and launch just as easily as native applications. The current efforts to enable this go just far enough to fool a lot of people into thinking that their HTML5 application is "just like" a native app, when it isn't. They need an installer that is just as easy as mobile, a listing in an app store, and a launch button on a home page or app listing page.
* HTML5 (mobile) applications need to have the same API/device features available.
Maybe its just an impossible dream. Maybe technology will never make sense or stop being so wasteful and re-inventy as long as it is being driven by people in this 'culture'. Because I guess people want to waste time and money reimplementing the wheel or an app.
I guess that's the part about technology that I will never really be comfortable with, the part where it intersects with people and their 'values' and 'decision making'.
The other impediment, aside from individuals and values etc., is just the fact that there is a strong 'economic' incentive to ensure that the web as platform does not become truly compatible and match native platforms in terms of capability. Native platform (OS) vendors have to assume that could very possibly lead to significant drops in sales.
I think that this is the central challenge that human society has in regards to all sorts of technology, not just information technology: how to build systems that have leading edge capability and are compatible while at the same time allowing for localization, specialization, free evolution, robustness and diverse approaches to common problems.
I think that eventually we will agree on some common semantic models that are above the programming language/platform/hardware/engineering level, externally describe our systems and implement lower levels based on those terms. Of course we also need a technology and process to mediate the collaborative and competitive evolution of these higher-level knowledgebases.
I get that a lot of people think that the web is becoming obsolete or whatever, but I think they are wrong. Yes, its nice to have a native look and feel or certain native features, but its not nice to have to make four different versions of the same application implemented in different platforms. That just doesn't make sense.
The web as a platform seems to have obvious advantages, but there is some stuff missing that makes it fall short of native applications. I think that doesn't have to be the case.
I think that 1) web browser teams have to work even harder to make the web as platform a reality, taking notice of a few particular problems, and 2) native application developers should stop being so enthusiastic about reinventing the wheel with multiple implementations.
As far as the problems that web browser teams need to be more aware of:
* HTML5 (mobile) applications need to install and launch just as easily as native applications. The current efforts to enable this go just far enough to fool a lot of people into thinking that their HTML5 application is "just like" a native app, when it isn't. They need an installer that is just as easy as mobile, a listing in an app store, and a launch button on a home page or app listing page.
* HTML5 (mobile) applications need to have the same API/device features available.
Maybe its just an impossible dream. Maybe technology will never make sense or stop being so wasteful and re-inventy as long as it is being driven by people in this 'culture'. Because I guess people want to waste time and money reimplementing the wheel or an app.
I guess that's the part about technology that I will never really be comfortable with, the part where it intersects with people and their 'values' and 'decision making'.
The other impediment, aside from individuals and values etc., is just the fact that there is a strong 'economic' incentive to ensure that the web as platform does not become truly compatible and match native platforms in terms of capability. Native platform (OS) vendors have to assume that could very possibly lead to significant drops in sales.
I think that this is the central challenge that human society has in regards to all sorts of technology, not just information technology: how to build systems that have leading edge capability and are compatible while at the same time allowing for localization, specialization, free evolution, robustness and diverse approaches to common problems.
I think that eventually we will agree on some common semantic models that are above the programming language/platform/hardware/engineering level, externally describe our systems and implement lower levels based on those terms. Of course we also need a technology and process to mediate the collaborative and competitive evolution of these higher-level knowledgebases.