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Comment by swframe | Hacker News Reader

I've built similar platforms. Naturally, I think they are awesome. They are a core part of very valuable products like SAP, Salesforce, etc. You will get a lot of push back from high developers who prefer direct access to the native api or html. Please don't let them discourage you. My response to them is that they can build reusable components that are driven by your json layer (win-win). There are enough developers who will benefit. Try to get funding sooner than later. I waited too long. You can't keep up building this by yourself.

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Thank you for the advice! Honestly it means a lot!

Don't listen to the haters. This is extremely valuable. Especially in E-commerce.

Like when you have an ever expanding product line and new categories are being added all the time. Ever wondered why Amazon uses web views all over ?

Many E-commerce companies would love to be able to do extensive A/B testing or add analytics on the fly but are crippled by the App store and the limitations of native apps. Some have even built versions of this themselves.

What we need is an Android port of this and then this will be some hot shit. I am willing to help on the iOS side in any way I can.

Thank you! Please follow the project and join the Slack channel if you can :)

But my personal view is that we should support a syntax that is a subset or derivative of HTML while being performant so that any existing web framework can generate smooth native apps (while also side stepping Apples rules against implementing a browser engine :P).

It sounds stupid but I work in E-commerce and have wished for this many times.

That sounds like React Native: https://facebook.github.io/react-native/

Have you seen Apple's TVML?

It's an XML/HTML-like syntax for building native Apple TV apps using native components, but loaded over HTTP and without having to write Objc/Swift code. It's very much like this (or React Native), but in XML.

When I read the Readme, I was thinking this could get a lot of limitations of store app updates. (As long as this thing can use a cached version of your json if it can't connect to the Interwebs).

I hate the walled gardens of the iOS/Android world and the fact that multi platform frameworks are so difficult. Seeing things like this are encouraging.

> What we need is an Android port of this and then this will be some hot shit.

Isn't this (kind of) what Android Instant Apps (will) do(es)? link: https://developer.android.com/topic/instant-apps/index.html

I think the key win here is very highly stylized native components that very elegant which solve specific use cases (content selection, database browsing, shops, etc). That way you can compete with react and friends who try to be everything to everybody.

I have built similar tools as well. You can't be generic because that requires programming skills. Focus on high value niches

And make everything look very very good. And perform very very fast.

Yes, keep it up! I shipped a fragment of something similar in an iOS app a few years ago, allowing my client to customize a complex form component of the app dynamically. It proved very useful.

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