GoNative

Dev tools

app builder

SHOW HN2014

148points
75comments
#168of 2,272 in 2014
Top 8%of 2014 by points

How HN took it

MixedNo clear lean

5 positive, 13 neutral or asking, 7 mixed, 16 critical, out of 41 comments about the project. Thread score -0.27.

Execution: 2 for, 3 againstIdea: 1 for, 4 againstPerformance: 0 for, 5 againstDesign: 2 for, 2 againstDocs: 0 for, 1 against

The thread, comment by comment

Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.

positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker

What HN said

What people liked

  • Quick to produce a working app from a website with native navigation and login.

    From 3 comments
    • I tried it out and for those who are asking for the difference between PhoneGap and other tools is that this takes your website, adds native components like navigation for menus…
      sumukh1 on HN
    • I'm new to native apps and I've been struggling to find a solution to get my HTML5 game on the app store. This is absolutely incredible. Took 30 seconds and worked flawlessly!…
      aith on HN
    • Exactly what I was looking for. I tried using PhoneGap but installing all this SDKs is a pain. PS: I can't even subscribe to your newsletter, everything seems broken:…
      Dorian-Marie on HN
  • Useful starting point for more advanced customization.

    From 1 comment
    • Cool project. Definitely useful as a starting point into more advanced customization. Thanks!
      booleanbetrayal on HN

Objections

  • Creates duplicate navigation and limited nav options.

    From 2 comments
    • This is certainly interesting, but it duplicated my own nav on my webpage. Don't know how it could be smart enough to detect that even though I have a very standard setup. In any…
      pachydermic on HN
    • Created duplicate navigation. Extremely limited navigation options. Scrolling is sketchy, when scrolling ends shows random item from the list not the one the scroll stopped at.…
      palakchokshi on HN
  • Apple may reject apps that are simply websites bundled as apps.

    From 2 comments
    • Apple have a rule against making apps that "are simply websites bundled as apps". You should probably mention that somewhere on the website to avoid having a bunch of people pay…
      JimDabell on HN
    • Declan has the right idea. Phonegap isn't about merely packaging a website as an application. It's about using front-end web technologies to build applications. There's no rule…
      JimDabell on HN
  • Could flood app stores with low quality apps.

    From 1 comment
    • I worry that it may encourage creating hundreds of low quality apps cluttering the App Store/Google Play.
      krzrak on HN
  • Still a webview wrapper, lacking native back button and state handling.

    From 1 comment
    • Does it make an actual native app or just a wrapper around a web view? I have a couple of (Android) apps that I use that are clearly just a wrapper and it's really annoying. 1)…
      Osiris on HN

Requests

  • Automatically increment app version numbers in builds.

    From 1 comment
    • Nice work, but there is a huge problem and I really hope you fix it ASAP or else I'm SOL for updating the app I just released with this. Apparently the version numbers are not…
      kennyledet on HN
  • Support for more native components and navigation options.

    From 1 comment
    • thanks for the feedback. one thing to be aware of is that the apps run much faster smoother on device versus in browser simulator. we'll also be supporting more navigation…
      weiyin on HN
  • Support for getUserMedia on iOS.

    From 1 comment

Questions

  • What is the difference from PhoneGap?

    From 2 comments
    • What's the difference from PhoneGap?
      Kiro on HN
    • Did you try PhoneGap? If so, what failed? I'm in a similar position as you.
      Kiro on HN
  • Does it make a real native app or a web view wrapper?

    From 2 comments
    • Does it make an actual native app or just a wrapper around a web view? I have a couple of (Android) apps that I use that are clearly just a wrapper and it's really annoying. 1)…
      Osiris on HN
    • We use webviews, but try to intelligently integrate them into the app. Things like back button, transitions, caching, and offline mode are designed to work automatically w/…
      weiyin on HN

Alternatives named

  • PhoneGap / Cordova

    From 3 comments
    • Unfortunately, phonegap (and cordova) don't make these work by default, and instead make you implement them yourself. Which very few developers get around to doing.
      coderzach on HN
    • What's the difference from PhoneGap?
      Kiro on HN
    • There are tons of web-view based apps in the App stores. Phonegap bases their entire business on a similar concept.
      nacs on HN
  • Wikipedia native app

    From 2 comments
    • just tried this because I hate the android wikipedia app (which is also just a wrapper). the only thing it needs is an intent filter for the website so any urls (like wikipedia…
      yincrash on HN
    • Try the new Wikipedia app beta which came out yesterday: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.wikipedia.beta
      BHSPitMonkey on HN

Category, keywords, summaries and labels on this page were made by AI (Thread Reader v2) and not checked by hand. Each point links to the comments it came from.

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