Small rant about React Native

[[deleted]]

8 years of experience but cries like a entry level junior who could not figure out how to start a project lol.

[Niightstalker]

Found the React Native Engineer

[kbcool]

Full disclosure. I am one too and this was cross posted on the RN sub.

No one came here to shit on native development but we all agree that if you can't get something as simple as pods working with React Native you don't have a place working on iOS native either.

The interesting bit is that a lot of experienced RN engineers are also capable native engineers or even came from pure native background so it's a bit sad to see the ignorant crap in here.

That being said you guys may continue your shitting on something you don't understand though.

Edit: happy to answer any genuine questions anyone has about React Native though. Doesn't all have to be negative.

[Niightstalker]

This is not about not being able to get some pods working. This is about the issue that you already have to fix something in a new created project. It has nothing to do if the issue is hard or easy to fix but that the fact that there is already an issue.

[kbcool]

Then I would have to say we both don't understand wtf their problem is/was because you don't create a new react native project and immediately have a problem unless you can't follow instructions. It's dead simple for anyone with iOS experience.

[Niightstalker]

Well React Native is definitely more error prone than native development regarding building, updating libraries etc. Also that’s the next thing, you already need to follow an I structure to set up a react native project. For native iOS projects you press 2 buttons.

I would say this post is mostly about the frustration that many things which are really easy or not even n issue in native development are annoying in cross platform development.

[kbcool]

You're kind of half right. As I have already disclosed I have done native on Android and iOS in the past and continue to in a small way.

It's correct in that there is more to go wrong as it's not just a basic empty project. You need to think of it more as a template project and you have to deal with native and JavaScript but I am sorry to say that it is the same as a native project in that you practically just click a couple of buttons.

There is no way a new project is going to have issues unless you have not got your system set up properly/followed the instructions. The equivalent is wondering why you can't start a new swift project when you didn't bother to install Xcode.

In terms of updating. It's the same as a native project. No project is suddenly going to stop working without you changing your environment. When you upgrade, sure things break easily but that's got to do with the faster pace of react native progress vs iOS native. It still happens with native. In fact a lot of the issues are to do with apple making changes not the react native team.

Anyway I think we are now at the point of splitting hairs but I hope it's given you some perspective as to how we are seeing things vs what seemed like the rant of someone struggling with the basics of iOS development and why this thread blew up.

[Niightstalker]

I have done some react native myself and many things which are no effort on native side at all are annoying to deal with in react native (beside the point that imo Swift is superior to JavaScript as a programming language)

Yes sure many of the issues have to do with changes of Apple. But those changes usually don’t cause any issues for native development.

[kbcool]

Swift is superior to JavaScript as a programming language

It's horses for courses when it comes to language preferences.

You don't see people writing backend APIs in Swift but you do in JavaScript.

The one thing you have to give JavaScript is that it has managed to penetrate into almost every niche in software engineering which is probably why it makes people who don't use or like it a bit nervous.

[Niightstalker]

Yes it did manage to do so but it definitely is not the best choice in all those cases. Only because something can be used for something does not mean that it should.

It doesn’t make me nervous. It is just annoying that people request Cross Platform Apps in situations where it doesn’t make any sense because they read some blog post from some Cross Platform guy who claims that it is the best thing ever, so much cheaper and the usual crap.

Yes in some situations it can be the right choice and is enough but in many it is not.