My Final Flutter Video

Summary

The speaker discusses the appropriate use of technologies like Flutter, React Native, and game engines for app development. They argue that understanding the nature of the application and its requirements is crucial. Flutter is criticized for its lack of native platform integration, leading to a subpar user experience. React Native, with its strong native bindings and community support, is praised for more complex applications. The speaker emphasizes the importance of choosing the right tool for the job to ensure the best outcome for users and developers.

Takeaways

• 🌟 Flutter is often misunderstood, with people not fully grasping what it is, what problems it solves, and what an application truly is.
• 📊 A spectrum is proposed to categorize applications based on their need for native features and the level of animation and interactivity.
• 🎮 Video game engines like Unity are best suited for highly animated and interactive applications, whereas simple, static applications may not require such engines.
• 🏪 Applications like Pokemon Go straddle the line, being both highly animated and requiring numerous native features like GPS and push notifications.
• 🔍 The 'game engine line' is introduced as a threshold where an application's animation justifies the use of a game engine for optimal experience.
• 💡 Flutter is likened to a web browser or game engine for apps, aiming to provide a cross-platform solution but often sacrificing native performance and integration.
• 📸 Flutter's approach to handling native features involves baking screenshots and stills of iOS elements into the app bundle, leading to an 'uncanny valley' experience.
• 🎨 Flutter's sweet spot is identified as being ideal for applications that focus on animations and have minimal interaction, such as animation platforms.
• 📱 For applications requiring more complex native features or better suited for a native experience, React Native or native development is recommended over Flutter.
• 📱 React Native, paired with Expo's packages, offers a powerful solution for building multi-platform mobile applications with strong native integrations.
• 🚀 Code push and over-the-air updates are highlighted as significant advantages of React Native, allowing for quick bug fixes and feature updates without App Store constraints.

Q & A

What is the main issue with using Flutter for applications that require native features?

The main issue is that Flutter avoids using native components as much as possible. Instead, it uses screenshots and stills of native features, which can result in an uncanny valley experience where the app feels almost, but not quite, native. This can lead to poor user experience and performance issues, such as incorrect scroll behavior, because Flutter doesn't fully integrate with the native platform's decades of development.

What is the 'game engine line' in the context of the spectrum described?

The 'game engine line' is a conceptual boundary on the spectrum that separates applications that benefit from using a game engine like Unity for their animation and interactive needs from those that would be better served by sticking to native platform features and rendering. It indicates the point at which an application's requirements for animation and interactivity are significant enough to justify using a game engine.

Why is React Native a better choice for certain applications compared to Flutter?

React Native is a better choice for applications that require complex native features or tighter integration with the platform because it provides a stronger binding layer with native code. It also benefits from a large ecosystem of packages that simplify native development, making it easier to access native features and SDKs without having to write everything from scratch.

What are some advantages of using React Native with Expo?

Expo provides a collection of native bindings for React Native that simplify development. These include Expo Font for loading third-party fonts, Expo FileSystem for direct file system access, and Expo Dev Menu for development tools. Expo also facilitates over-the-air updates and code push, allowing for quick deployment of bug fixes and small changes without going through the App Store review process.

How does the speaker view the use of Flutter for building e-commerce apps?

The speaker discourages the use of Flutter for e-commerce apps, arguing that it can hurt the users, the engineers, and the business itself. This is because Flutter's approach to not using native components can lead to a subpar user experience and performance issues, which are critical for the success of e-commerce applications.

What is the speaker's main criticism of Flutter's approach to native features?

The speaker criticizes Flutter's approach to native features because it does not fully utilize the native platform's capabilities. Instead, Flutter recreates its own versions of native components, which can result in an inferior user experience and performance. The speaker argues that this is particularly problematic for new developers who may be misled into thinking that Flutter is a suitable choice for all types of applications.

What is the 'sweet spot' for using Flutter according to the speaker?

The speaker identifies a 'sweet spot' for using Flutter as being in the area of applications that are not quite games but have defining characteristics in their animation frameworks. For apps that focus on performant animations with minimal interactions, Flutter can make sense because it provides a way to build and render animations across different platforms effectively.

Why does the speaker argue that React Native is a powerful solution for mobile development?

The speaker argues that React Native is powerful because it allows for the development of applications with complex functionality that requires native features. It provides a strong binding layer with native code and a large ecosystem of packages, making it easier to access native features and SDKs. Additionally, features like code push and over-the-air updates give developers the ability to quickly deploy fixes and updates without going through the App Store, which is a significant advantage.

What is the speaker's view on the state of iOS support in Flutter?

The speaker believes that the state of iOS support in Flutter is currently poor, citing issues with the animation layer since iOS moved to the Metal engine. The speaker mentions that there are unresolved issues that have been ongoing since the transition, indicating a lack of maturity or robustness in Flutter's iOS support.

What does the speaker suggest is a better approach for developers choosing a technology stack?

The speaker suggests that developers should be more responsible and thoughtful in their choice of technology stack. They should consider the specific requirements of their application and the user experience, rather than simply choosing a technology because it is popular or the one they are most familiar with. The speaker encourages developers to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each platform and to make informed decisions based on the needs of their project.

What is the speaker's opinion on the Flutter community's understanding of its platform's limitations?

The speaker feels that the Flutter community, particularly its most vocal members, often fail to acknowledge or understand the limitations of the platform. They argue that these developers tend to focus on the advantages of Flutter while downplaying or ignoring the significant drawbacks, especially when it comes to the user experience and performance on non-native platforms.