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Comment by Bahamut | Hacker News Reader

Except it's not a one time download - every damn update has you downloading the whole mobile app again, which is a devastating multiplier.

JS isn't nearly as offensive as those exaggerated numbers by comparison

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Not a fair comparison. Those updates can happen in the background (when in another app, when you're asleep, etc.), and most apps will continue to operate without being updated.

Nothing more irritating then being forced to update / download content when you need to go and quickly do something in an app.

the few apps I care about (banking, for example), always force a full update, and generally right when I need to use the app. Old version doesn't work anymore, and I have to reinstall a new one. And... I've never seen mobile apps update in the background or while I'm asleep. I have to explicitly authorize (generally with the clunky password input box) the new update. Every. Single. Time.

I don't seem to have this trouble. My apps update maybe once a week on average. The notifications always seem to pop up over night while I sleep. When I wake up I simply accept the updates and make my breakfast or shower while the updates occur. I haven't spent time waiting on an update when I needed the app right then in so long I can't remember the last time it was.

With JS they have to download a new version too (now that we're compiling javascript), and not in the background but when they want to run the app.

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