> React native will probably be the best way forward. ... RN runs natively, doesn't need a browser, while being able to tap into the JS eco system.
Similar arguments were made when Java first came on the scene. "Write once, run anywhere." [1] Years later, here we are again with "native" Javascript libraries. I'm sure in another 20 years or so we'll be rehashing this again, just with some other language.
Java Swing wasn't native, though. SWT is more comparable.
React Native isn't "native" (in quotes), it's native... it uses the actual widgets provided by the host OS. You use similar techniques to create your UI for each platform, but you do generally need to create separate UI for each platform with React Native.
Similar arguments were made when Java first came on the scene. "Write once, run anywhere." [1] Years later, here we are again with "native" Javascript libraries. I'm sure in another 20 years or so we'll be rehashing this again, just with some other language.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Write_once,_run_anywhere