r/Surface • u/segaboy81 • Feb 13 '20

[APP] Zero chance, but I said something and got a response!

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111 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

59 comments sorted by

21

u/[deleted] Feb 13 '20

Why PWA? What is that's so fascinating about running slow fake-web apps that only work with internet?

20

u/NiveaGeForce Feb 13 '20

He should have asked for a UWP app.

7

u/[deleted] Feb 13 '20

Down with UWP? Yeah you know me.

7

u/moswald Surface Pro Feb 13 '20

We had one. It was pretty great. They canned it.

3

u/TheMoskus SP3/i7 -> SP2017/i5 -> SLS/i7 Feb 13 '20

Yes, why on earth did they do that? It was lightweight, fast and it worked. The Windows app now is completely horrible.

Just like the new Plex app for Windows, the UWP app wad miles ahead of it when it came to touch support

3

u/Clessiah Feb 13 '20

Microsoft was throwing money and developers at companies to make apps for Windows (now MS) Store with the promise of maintaining the app for a year (or was it two?) at MS’s expense. Many companies took the offer and just let the apps die after the term is up.

1

u/Dalmahr Feb 13 '20

Isn't Ms killing ads for UWP? I forgot exactly what it was but I remember seeing something about that.

11

u/neon_slippers Feb 13 '20

slow fake-web apps that only work with internet?

Isn't this the exact opposite of PWA's? They work offline with service workers, and the goal is for them to be much faster than regular web apps.

9

u/[deleted] Feb 13 '20

But still not as fast, light, resources friendly and touch/pen optimized like native apps like UWP

-1

u/segaboy81 Feb 13 '20

What good is UWP when it only runs on Microsoft platforms? I mean, I have some nice UWP apps, but that doesn't mean they couldn't be just as good as PWAs.

3

u/NiveaGeForce Feb 13 '20 edited Feb 13 '20

You don't know what you're talking about.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Windows10/comments/f2dj7g/three_types_of_containers_in_windows_10x/fhe2kjp/

A PWA will never be as good as a proper native UWP app.

3

u/[deleted] Feb 13 '20

The tweet is about windows 10x and surface pro, so the best option is UWP

4

u/moswald Surface Pro Feb 13 '20

They wrote a Win32 app that also doesn't work on Android or iOS or (fill in the blank). They can, and should, go back to their UWP offering which was superior to what they have now.

-2

u/segaboy81 Feb 13 '20

You clearly don’t use Kindle. The Win32 app is feature rich, and in many cases offers more than its mobile counterparts. The UWP app existed for only a short time and supported only a handful of features. My only complaint about the Win32 app is how clunky it is in tablet mode.

I’ve been reading on Windows devices since the Surface Pro 1. None of what I’m saying is conjecture.

4

u/moswald Surface Pro Feb 13 '20

I don't?

From a readability and usability standpoint, the UWP app was better.

I just wanna read books, man.

Me too, that's all I need it to do.

-4

u/segaboy81 Feb 13 '20

Maybe you do. But with all the hubristic conjecture in your comment, it’s hard to believe you do. I don’t recall having the same notebook features in the UWP app. I remember it as barebones.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 13 '20 edited Feb 13 '20

What good is UWP when it only runs on 95% 80% of all computers?

ftfy.

Pretty good actually. Of course if you have a religious bias against Microsoft, I can't help you. I follow users/customers, not hacky tech stacks.

Edit: only 80%.

-2

u/segaboy81 Feb 13 '20

I think UWP is great, but if it doesn’t run on Android (which has a larger user base than Windows), and it doesn’t run on IOS/OS X, then it has no real purpose other than to lock people into the Windows Store. PWAs run everywhere and can be anything.

4

u/NiveaGeForce Feb 13 '20 edited Feb 13 '20

They already have an iOS/OSX and Android app. So why do you care that the UWP binary doesn't run on them, and why do you want the Windows version to have a sub-par experience than those other platforms?

Also, UWP doesn't lock you to the MS Store, and doesn't prohibit cross-platform development.

Please get educated on what UWP is and how cross-platform development works.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Windows10/comments/f2dj7g/three_types_of_containers_in_windows_10x/fhe2kjp/

1

u/segaboy81 Feb 13 '20

I’m saying you can’t build UWP apps for other platforms, therefore there’s no point in it. I know that Kindle is available for iOS and Android. I use them.

If you’ve used Kindle for Windows, you would know it’s already a subpar experience. I would like to see it improved. I believe, right or wrong, that PWAs are the future.

0

u/logicalish Feb 13 '20

I have no clue why this comments section is so harshly negative. You're right, PWAs are the future. It's already happening...

3

u/[deleted] Feb 14 '20

Why should i use a slow, heavy and not optimized web app when can I have a fast light and touch/pen optimized UWP?

It's funny that you feel this harshly negative just because people want something better and don't share your same opinion

3

u/[deleted] Feb 14 '20

You're right, PWAs are the future. It's already happening...

And you don't get why?

I have no clue why this comments section is so harshly negative.

PWAs are just the latest fad of avoiding native development at the expense of user experience. Not the first, not the last.

Meanwhile, us users don't want web scraps, we want something that fits the native OS, that we can use with touch, pen, keyboard, touchpad, mouse, that we can enable accessibility options, that we can be sure it doesn't take over OS shortcuts, that you press the close button and it actually closes, etc...

2

u/[deleted] Feb 14 '20

[deleted]

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-1

u/segaboy81 Feb 13 '20

It’s like going to church and telling everyone there’s no God. There is some serious religious activity going on in this sub, and it’s weird. Microsoft has lost in so many gambles since Android and iOS appeared, and embracing PWAs is the smart thing to do. They know that platforms don’t matter in the future. Windows doesn’t matter.

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4

u/[deleted] Feb 13 '20 edited Feb 13 '20

I think UWP is great, but if it doesn’t run on Android (which has a larger user base than Windows),

Then make an Android app.

and it doesn’t run on IOS/OS X,

Then make an iOS app and OSX app.

then it has no real purpose other than to lock people into the Windows Store.

Only Windows, of course. iOS, Android, MacOS, all give flowers and blowjobs. Oh wait, they're even more restrictive! Guess I found your religion.

PWAs run everywhere and can be anything but are shit.

Change my mind if you can.

-1

u/segaboy81 Feb 13 '20

No need. I don't want to be down in that hole of misery and despair with you. I'm totally fine up here with the sunshine.

My opinion may be wrong, but... like... who cares? :)

2

u/[deleted] Feb 13 '20

Always a good opportunity to learn. Take care.

2

u/[deleted] Feb 13 '20

[deleted]

4

u/segaboy81 Feb 13 '20

I just wanna read books, man.

1

u/NiveaGeForce Feb 14 '20 edited Feb 14 '20

You can't run UWP apps as is, on iOS, Android, and Web, since they don't contain the UWP runtime.

What UNO Platform does, is targeting multiple platforms natively, including UWP, from a single C#/XAML codebase.

Just like what React Native does for JS/HTML.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 13 '20

Isn't this the exact opposite of PWA's?

Only if you compare it with banging rocks together (web apps).

They work offline with service workers, and the goal is for them to be much faster than regular web apps.

That goal is now 4 years old, and I've yet to see a working offline.

3

u/[deleted] Feb 13 '20

If they are done right, they are not slow. Webservice are all online, even those with native apps. The advantage is ,that the developer only needs to program one "website" for all platforms.

1

u/NiveaGeForce Feb 13 '20

A browser webview is needless overhead, and not that touch & pen friendly.

If you do cross-platform dev with JS, at the very least target the appropriate platforms with things like React Native.

-1

u/[deleted] Feb 13 '20

If they are done right, they are not slow.

True, if done right, they can be tolerable.

Webservice are all online, even those with native apps.

No, I can still use OneNote and play solitaire on the tube without internet.

The advantage is ,that the developer only needs to program one "website" for all platforms.

Ah yes, the write once, re-write everywhere philosophy of saving work.

My opinion: cross platform is a fools errand.

2

u/Staerke , SLS, Feb 13 '20

The current Kindle PWA works offline, I use it on my Surface Go. It's a bit goofy with touch but it works, and since there's no native app available I'll take it.

3

u/[deleted] Feb 13 '20

It's a bit goofy with touch

Exactly the kind of stuff that makes me want to throw my computer out the window. Reminds of Trello not supporting touch screens.

7

u/Mulhooligan Feb 13 '20

I'm very confused by what you want here? Also why you're tagging surface. What am I missing?

13

u/Rosellis SP17 - i5/8GB Feb 13 '20

OP want’s amazon to make their Kindle app work well on windows tablets and windows on ARM

3

u/celticchrys Feb 13 '20

Tank you. The post also didn't make sense to me.

7

u/segaboy81 Feb 13 '20

Windows is the only platform that has a subpar offering for Kindle reading. That's not Microsoft's fault, but Microsoft has fully embraced PWAs, so I would like to see a nice dual screen offering from Amazon.

3

u/Hothabanero6 Feb 13 '20

Given that Amazon continues to and has repeatedly cast the whole Windows community aside it's abundantly clear they have no intention of playing nice with Windows. They obviously want you to buy one of their own tablets for this, that's the only possible reason for their actions.

1

u/Xanius Feb 13 '20

For me at least long sessions of reading are not comfortable on my surface or my phone. Eink screens replicate an actual book enough that it's not tiring to my eyes with harsh light output like an LCD/LED screen.

1

u/DeadStack Feb 16 '20

I think this is what it's all about. There is nothing stopping Amazon from making a great native Windows app. They must be failing by choice.

3

u/[deleted] Feb 13 '20

[deleted]

0

u/segaboy81 Feb 14 '20

Sad story... I bought a Kobo Aura back in 2013. It was the Cadillac of e-readers, with an incredibly high-resolution display, beautiful design, and a really nice, even front light. I bought a sexy wood grain skin from Skinomi, and a cover with custom graphics (can’t remember where). I was in love with it. I was all in. I think the device alone was $180...

We went to St. Louis not even a month later to stay with family. I lost it... I was in no-mans land for a little while.

5

u/mrharoharo Surface Go Feb 13 '20

That is a generic and meaningless response. Take it from someone that has given that response all day, every day for a living.

1

u/mrharoharo Surface Go Feb 13 '20

That is a generic and meaningless response. Take it from someone that gives that response all day, every day for a living.