@daringfireball –

If we're deciding whether the Web or native apps are superior, "the people who make them" (or perhaps just how they're made) is a useful single factor to specify we're talking about. Typically when you've asserted native apps are better, I've taken you to mean both in theory and in all ways.

I'd agree the potential for good Web apps is way under-realized; not that there's no potential. For my money, the Mastodon Web app on iOS is way nicer than the Mastodon iOS app.

@Starfia @daringfireball The aspect of web apps that’s clearly worse is discovery and installation.

Installing an iOS app is complicated but easy.

Installing a web app is simple but challenging.

@fuzenco @Starfia @daringfireball Like I said, it’s simple but challenging.

Let’s say you’re on a web site. How do you install a web app?

@fuzenco @Starfia @daringfireball What you’re saying might be true if example.com and example.com/path were equivalent.

When you add trello.com/b/id1 as a web app it’s different than trello.com/b/id2.

There’s a lot of developer complexity you’ve ignored: sessions, local storage, offline, sync, background processing, large file storage, media playback. And, presumably, you don’t want your proprietary content (music, game assets, etc) stored without encryption.

It isn’t trivial.

@pixelscience, @fuzenco –

These days, isn't the scope of the app specifiable by the developer? No matter which page you add from, the system keeps you "in the app" while you navigate within the scope while opening external links in the browser. If the page isn't configured as an app, the system presumes what you want to export is a shortcut to that page.

So I think that whole "challenge" is defined away, unless I'm really missing something…?

@pixelscience, @fuzenco –

I mention it because I've implemented it. No complaints so far.

Anything specific to double-check?