Is React Native
a Game changer

?

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YES!

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What is the problem?

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Compared to web dev, mobile dev sucks

!

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Facebook released react-native on 2015

 

Which is very exciting news for everyone!

and made mobile dev much similar to web dev

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What is so much worse about mobile dev

vs web dev?

 

You might ask...

but really...

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Global usage

86%

Device fragmentation

12%

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Device fragmentation

50%

50%

Within the US 

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App store Revenue

>

Device fragmentation

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Which platform will you target?

 

This question btw, doesn’t exist on the web

You don’t target Firefox OR Chrome OR safari…

You target ALL of them!!!

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If you are serious about mobile dev You want to target both!

 

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So how expensive is it to build

an app targeting both platforms?

VERY BLOODY EXPENSIVE!!!

$$$

Costs

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Quick calculation:

Costs

iOS dev             = $100k / yr

Android dev    = $100k / yr

Coordination    = $50k   / yr

x 1.5 years

$375k just for the app!!!

What about back end dev?

What about Marketing?

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Costs

You actually need $ ½ million…

Which means raising capital

Makes it difficult for entrepreneurs and new projects to
create and test new buisness models on the market

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Programming Languages

Objective C
Swift

Java

Kotlin

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Programming Languages

Designed for performance / reliability

NOT designed for dev productivity

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Programming Languages

Swift - a typical ajax request

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Programming Languages

Kotlin - a typical ajax request

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fun sendGetRequest(userName:String, password:String) {

        var reqParam = URLEncoder.encode("username", "UTF-8") + "=" + URLEncoder.encode(userName, "UTF-8")
        reqParam += "&" + URLEncoder.encode("password", "UTF-8") + "=" + URLEncoder.encode(password, "UTF-8")

        val mURL = URL("<Yout API Link>?"+reqParam)

        with(mURL.openConnection() as HttpURLConnection) {
            // optional default is GET
            requestMethod = "GET"

            println("URL : $url")
            println("Response Code : $responseCode")

            BufferedReader(InputStreamReader(inputStream)).use {
                val response = StringBuffer()

                var inputLine = it.readLine()
                while (inputLine != null) {
                    response.append(inputLine)
                    inputLine = it.readLine()
                }
                it.close()
                println("Response : $response")
            }
        }
    }

Programming Languages

(async ()=> {
  const res = await fetch( url,options); 
  return await res.json();
})().catch(console.error)

Javascript - a typical ajax request

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Tooling

Xcode

Android studio

Not the best productivity...

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Any editor of your choice

lightweight text editors

Important for productivity!

live-reloading updating in real time

Tooling

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upload your files to a server

users get your latest version

users run your compiled app locally

You need to deal with the App stores

Distribution platforms

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a big pain for devs

Impossible to have CI/CD workflow

Bugfixes may be approved ~ a week

First submit  ~ a month

Might be rejected or shut down anytime

utter disaster!!!

Distribution platforms

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User A
Version 1.1

User B
Version 1.2

User C
Version 1.3

You cannot assume the user has version X

You cannot enforce an update

You need to manage multiple versions simultaneously 
all the time!!!

Version Management

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updates cannot be submitted over the air

unless they are downloaded and run by the built in JavaScriptCore

Updates Management

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Expo

The easiest way to:

easy...

  • Setup your project in seconds

  • Test your App locally on your device

  • Send a link to beta testers

  • Compile the final Build binaries

  • Over the air updates in production

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Layout

React native uses
css flexbox for layout which is amazing!

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Other alternatives

Cross compilers

No new dev paradigm

Use your language with iOS api...

Commercial license

Closed source -
no transparency we are used to on the web and github

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Other alternatives

Containers

Awesome idea!

allow web devs have a great workflow with html/css/js

Bad performance limited by the webview container

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Other alternatives

JavascriptCore

Render actual native components via a native bridge

Was not adopted by the community

Costs a license per developer... Bad business model...

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Other alternatives

JavascriptCore

  • Better tooling
  • Free and open source
  • Backed by Facebook
  • Widely adopted

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© Yariv Gilad

Summery

  • React Native is indeed a Game changer!
  • allows us to write JS and compile native apps
  • Target iOS and Android
  • Use any text editor
  • Live reloading
  • Familiar Flexbox layout
  • Easy updates over the air
  • Easy beta testing
  • Makes Mobile dev more like Web dev
  • Will save your team a lot of headaches
  • Will save you a whole lot of $$$!

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Thank you

© Yariv Gilad