Fair enough on the iOS mention. The tech stack (React Native, Expo, TypeScript, SQLite) is detailed in the blog post, I wasn't trying to hide it.
As others pointed out in the thread, RN renders actual native views, not a webview. For this use case: browsing a local SQLite database offline, it works really well.
Funny enough this was my first mobile app ever, I figured it out doing it. Expo helped a lot. The Apple review process on the other hand… that was a whole learning experience on its own.
RN does use a lot of native code. It’s not based on a webview like Electron is. Most of the builtin components are native views and there’s no CSS. The JS engine is also simpler. It’s more akin to the lua runtime in Neovim.
It’s a fair assumption. The React part is more about copying JSX and other React concepts (declarative UI etc) but it all boils down to native binaries. The toolchain is also pretty nice. It does hot reloading so you don’t have to recompile the app while building locally. The downside is you get less for free compared to SwiftUI. But SwiftUI also has many footguns and bugs. No free lunch!
This could’ve been a nice native lickable app, as befitting for what it does.
Instead, and I’m not against AI, AI slop that isn’t native, has awful design and awful font decisions.
Someone should take the idea but implement it properly.
And a Cover Flow view is a must.
Lovely! Thank you
Love this given my favorite record store is in a basement with bad cell service!
I love it!
Blog title lacks iOS: "Building Digs, an offline Discogs companion"
And it's a RN app:
> It’s a React Native app built with Expo and TypeScript. Data lives in SQLite.
Fair enough on the iOS mention. The tech stack (React Native, Expo, TypeScript, SQLite) is detailed in the blog post, I wasn't trying to hide it.
As others pointed out in the thread, RN renders actual native views, not a webview. For this use case: browsing a local SQLite database offline, it works really well.
What's wrong with React Native? I don't quite get your point there.
Speculating - but an iOS app that's build on React Native is not really a 'native iOS app'. Which might have some performance implications etc.
Just speculating, I've not done mobile development since before RN was even a thing.
Funny enough this was my first mobile app ever, I figured it out doing it. Expo helped a lot. The Apple review process on the other hand… that was a whole learning experience on its own.
God I feel you here, that first review is always brutal.
RN does use a lot of native code. It’s not based on a webview like Electron is. Most of the builtin components are native views and there’s no CSS. The JS engine is also simpler. It’s more akin to the lua runtime in Neovim.
Ah, I did not know that. I thought it was more Electron-like.
It’s a fair assumption. The React part is more about copying JSX and other React concepts (declarative UI etc) but it all boils down to native binaries. The toolchain is also pretty nice. It does hot reloading so you don’t have to recompile the app while building locally. The downside is you get less for free compared to SwiftUI. But SwiftUI also has many footguns and bugs. No free lunch!
Quite a lot. Enough that it isn't realistic to ask this in good faith
How'd you design the icon/logo for it?
Not a designer at all, I used recraft.ai and iterated until I got something I liked.
What do you recommend beyond React Native?
That’s fun!
Thanks!