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Facebook Abandoning HTML5 to Speed Up iOS App
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What about Apple and Nitro only being available in mobile Safari ? Seems even with iOS 5.1.1, UIWebViews still use the old Javascript engine :
http://blog.mobtest.com/2012/05/heres-why-the-facebook-ios-app-is-so-bad-uiwebviews-and-no-nitro/
Nitro, introduced in iOS 4.3, really boosted Javascript performance (which is crucial to most HTML5 applications) while running under Mobile Safari. iOS 5 was supposed to bring it to UIWebViews and home screen applications. What happened to that ?
Maybe the problem isn't entirely with Facebook's handling of HTML5 ?
Hopefully it's not like the new Facebook Pages Manager app, which is even worse than the current Facebook app.
Actually at this point I am thrilled that they are just fixing what's broke instead of trying to reinvent the wheel.
You know guys, the thing is — HTML5 apps can be very fast. I'm making ones actually. They're no way compared to current facebook and twitter "slow as a dog" stuff.
So, Facebook just doesn't have developers that are able to optimize or rewrite it in a fast way. That's pretty sad news because many people think HTML5 apps are bullcrap because of big companies.
So, Facebook just doesn't have developers that are able to optimize or rewrite it in a fast way. That's pretty sad news because many people think HTML5 apps are bullcrap because of big companies.
Yeah I suppose there's that. I hate when that happens too. I guess you can't always convince the execs, even if the cons outweigh the pros in the end. The biggest con, of course, being having to rewrite the app at some point anyway.
But we all know execs don't always learn no matter what happens
Do tell?
I do not have the Twitter app installed under iOS5, and everything I can find under Settings for Twitter is Off, yet when I want to send a photo to someone I get a Tweet button as an option. How I can I get rid of that?
I expect the same mess with Facebook in iOS6.
I do not have the Twitter app installed under iOS5, and everything I can find under Settings for Twitter is Off, yet when I want to send a photo to someone I get a Tweet button as an option. How I can I get rid of that?
I expect the same mess with Facebook in iOS6.
Agreed.
I actually liked the previous design with the "home screen" of icons that you could rearrange, rather than the cramped sidebar it has now (although it's not horrible).
Sorry but a single menu option is not a "mess". Just ignore it if you don't use it. I'm sure you don't use every single option in every app you have so I have to assume you just ignore them, right?
Lessons learned?
1) Let HTML do what it does best: Be a markup language for web development, not for application development.
Keep everything in its right place, and things will go fast and everybody will be happy.
2) If a web developer wants to write iOS (or any other OS) Apps, learn the right language, don't go the easy route, that is, is you want to do things right.
1) Let HTML do what it does best: Be a markup language for web development, not for application development.
Keep everything in its right place, and things will go fast and everybody will be happy.
2) If a web developer wants to write iOS (or any other OS) Apps, learn the right language, don't go the easy route, that is, is you want to do things right.
iOS has two javascript engines, one blazing fast in Safari one much, much, much slower for embedded webpages (like it is the case for the Facebook app)
To achieve this kind of speed, Apple does black magic on the memory management. A bug on the app and all the security of the OS could be compromised. This is why the modern javascript engine is not available to Facebook.
This is an Apple problem! They promise the best HTML5 experience on iOS, they simply cannot deliver. As a consequence, webapps on iOS are clumsy.
I'm astounded...
...that anyone even uses Facebook.
When it comes to the Internet, if it's free then you are the product.
...that anyone even uses Facebook.
When it comes to the Internet, if it's free then you are the product.
While I agree with everyone that their app is utter garbage, rewriting an app that is used by millions and millions isn't fixing a programming "issue". It is changing how the app fundamentally works (from web-based to native).
Anyway, adding my vote the pool. I believe it when I see it.
Yeah that and the youtube app on the piece of crap apple tv. I never use the thing because the quality is so bad to watch anything, and slow as a turtle to load any vids of off youtube. Sure a pretty user face which is worthless once you get to the content.
Except when it's not.
Which is in virtually every context, as it's limited, cross platform compatibility doesn't work and performance sucks on virtually every platform.
good! it's horrible atm!
I think it is slightly restricted usability wise with the iphone screen (much nicer on ipad) but it is super slow!
I think it is slightly restricted usability wise with the iphone screen (much nicer on ipad) but it is super slow!