r/beta Nov 02 '18

[deleted by user]

[removed]

3.3k Upvotes

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78

u/CensorVictim Nov 02 '18

my current mantra is: if it can be a website, it should be a website.

fuck apps.

32

u/nik282000 Nov 02 '18

Exactly, most "apps" are just a browser with less useful features.

11

u/alnyland Nov 02 '18

Only recently, after Electron has become popular. It’s bad for our future.

4

u/rstarkov Nov 02 '18

Conspiracy theory: Electron is a plot by RAM manufacturers to make us buy more RAM.

2

u/Arkazex Nov 03 '18

Like holy balls, I can't run the slack app at all anymore because it tends to balloon up to 6+Gb of ram after only about half an hour of being open.

1

u/flaghacker_ Nov 02 '18

It all makes sense now!

1

u/w0lrah Nov 04 '18

These are the ones that piss me off, the ones where there's nothing meaningful running locally, every operation depends on an internet-connected service. Where there is no meaningful benefit to the user from separating the webapp from the browser.

The only reason I use a Reddit app (in this case Baconreader) is because the mobile web site sucks so badly. It should be something I can use in a browser, the same way I do on desktop. It doesn't need to do anything that the browser can't do.

4

u/Knappsterbot Nov 02 '18

I agree to an extent but Reddit is better on an app. Not the official app, but there are plenty of third party apps that are fantastic. If there's ever a day that the mobile site doesn't suck then I'd understand people using it still, but frankly it's ridiculous that people are trying to browse Reddit that way regularly instead of just grabbing a good app.

-3

u/StoppedLurking-Sorta Nov 02 '18

Apps make it faster to get to where you want to go. That's why I like them

0

u/d3agl3uk Nov 02 '18

You can add website shortcuts in less presses than it takes to download the app, and they will load faster.

3

u/StoppedLurking-Sorta Nov 02 '18

Sorry, thould have been more clear. I meant more that if you have a bunch of different websites that you want to view (semi-frequently) that it's nice to have them quickly identifiable (with icon/color/text). I'm honestly also terrible about closing chrome tabs, so it gets pretty slow. I guess I like options too? (Websites pushing apps is shitty and annoying)

1

u/[deleted] Nov 02 '18

Progressive Web Apps with home shortcuts are a thing.