Hybrid
vs
Native
Choosing a Mobile Strategy
Jeff French
@jeff_french
geekindulgence.com
TL;dr;
Choose Hybrid
Am I hybrid fanboy?
Yes
Have I ever built a native app?
No
Does that make me grossly unqualified to advise you about hybrid vs native?
No
What is a native app?
Platform specific Language
Platform Specific UI
Code Reuse: 0%
Objective-C / SWIFT | Java | Xaml
What is A Hybrid App?
Native WebView
JS API to access native functionality
HTML5 / CSS UI
Code Reuse: 95% - 100%
What is the Grey Area?
Transpilers: More than meets the eye
Native device APIs in a common language
Common Business Logic
Platform Specific UI
Code Reuse: 70% - 80%
Xamarin | Appcelerator Titanium
WHEN to choose Native
You only care about one platform
Your app is highly dependent on a platform-specific feature
Your app uses heavy 3D rendering
Why is hybrid good for the 95% case?
Plugins to provide native functionality
(Barcode Scanners, GPS, Contacts, Camera, NFC, Bluetooth, etc)
Frameworks to provide native look and behaviors
(Ionic, Sencha Touch, KendoUI)
The performance myth
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Facebook dropped html5 and went Native, shouldn't I do the same?
NO
Conclusion:
Choose Hybrid
See, I told you I was fan boy!
Any questions?
Jeff French
Follow: @jeff_french
Blog: geekindulgence.com