Hacker News Reader

Comment by xvector | Hacker News Reader

> I do want to see a return to native apps but there are no worthwhile incentives to do so outside of "our customers demanded a native app."

Every native app I have ever used has been many times snappier than its Electron/Web equivalent. Think on why customers demand native apps.

View on HN

How can you say that customers are demanding native apps when only a minuscule number of users can tell if an app is native or not? Most are not even familiar with the term native; desktop installed app (of all types) vs browser app at best.

Don't confuse ignorance with indifference. Most people can't tell you anything about engines but they certainly can feel that a Porche drives better than a Camry. When you talk about Electron you'll hear things like "why is my computer so slow" or "my fans are always on" or "my battery life is terrible": people will know, but they won't know it's Electron.

We’re not demanding native apps at all. We’re demanding apps that work on our system of choice and get regular updates.

If Electron is what it takes then I’ll use an Electron app and not care.

> get regular updates.

Most non-tech people I know detest auto-updates.

Updates are the last thing I want as a user, thank you very much. Windows and constantly shifting UI of various apps have soiled this concept altogether in the minds of many users.

But are you willing to pay 2x for that extra snappiness?

So you started writing crappy apps because it was easier for you and now you want to be paid double to fix your shit?

Quality is generally more expensive, particularly the finely tuned kind.

Depends on how bad it is and how important snappiness is. Apps that aren't snappy cause all kinds of cognitive problems with attention.

They will ask for Open Source alternatives, we have seen this for more than a decade. I only saw a few comments that say "you should get rid of free tier" per year.

  $5 -> this looks cheap, probably poor quality  
  $49 -> this is quite too much  
  $99 -> are you kidding me

Reply on news.ycombinator.com