Yes, this is a valid question that PWA are a good alternative if we want to use JS ecosystem.
But the main objective of the talk was to tell which CrossPlatform mobile platform is good. So, PWA are still web apps not mobile apps compiled natively.
Regarding Dart, well its more like JavaScript and Swift/Kotlin mix. And is very understandable and getting traction and popularity day by day. So its just a matter of time.
I definitely agree with you, mobile cross platform stuff is awesome, and Flutter is nice for sure! But why would I want a mobile cross platform app when I can just use the web/PWAs? The average end user installs 0.25 apps/month here in Germany, so the "discovery" argument for proprietary distribution mechanisms such as the Play Store or the App Store doesn't count all that much anymore, you have to pay fees to release the apps, they can be censored, you have to setup a compiler toolchain & runtime (i.e. Dart VM, i guess), tooling etc. ... If we put the development of a Web Browser in Flutter aside, why would I want a native mobile app over a PWA?
(in fact, I even wrote this comment from the dev.to PWA)
Yes you are right about the facts for mobile market situation. Also mobile app discover ability is also a major issue.
But there are some things which PWAs can't solve. Such as we cannot create Uber or ride sharing kind of app in PWA or the apps with augmented reality or high usage of device hardware. That's where mobile apps usually come in.
Yes, this is a valid question that PWA are a good alternative if we want to use JS ecosystem.
But the main objective of the talk was to tell which CrossPlatform mobile platform is good. So, PWA are still web apps not mobile apps compiled natively.
Regarding Dart, well its more like JavaScript and Swift/Kotlin mix. And is very understandable and getting traction and popularity day by day. So its just a matter of time.
I definitely agree with you, mobile cross platform stuff is awesome, and Flutter is nice for sure! But why would I want a mobile cross platform app when I can just use the web/PWAs? The average end user installs 0.25 apps/month here in Germany, so the "discovery" argument for proprietary distribution mechanisms such as the Play Store or the App Store doesn't count all that much anymore, you have to pay fees to release the apps, they can be censored, you have to setup a compiler toolchain & runtime (i.e. Dart VM, i guess), tooling etc. ... If we put the development of a Web Browser in Flutter aside, why would I want a native mobile app over a PWA?
(in fact, I even wrote this comment from the dev.to PWA)
Yes you are right about the facts for mobile market situation. Also mobile app discover ability is also a major issue.
But there are some things which PWAs can't solve. Such as we cannot create Uber or ride sharing kind of app in PWA or the apps with augmented reality or high usage of device hardware. That's where mobile apps usually come in.
Well Uber does have a PWA I guess