This seems to be a constant meme repeated in every single thread which dares to mention modern web development.
I don't know if it's because the HN community is dominated by backend developers who think UIs are pointless and should be generated by code, but it's really annoying.
No, we shouldn't be stuck in a rigid framework of shitty premade components with zero customizability.
Modern web interfaces can be designed to be user friendly, performant, and good looking.
Try marketing a web app which looks like a Java applet from 2003 and let's see how many users you get. As much as so many developers hate to admit it, things looking modern, polished and well designed is important.
> Modern web interfaces can be designed to be user friendly, performant, and good looking.
Right. Name three examples that are all this, and still considered "good UX" by webdev standards.
> Try marketing a web app
Herein lies the real issue. And it predates the web. I recall a piece of documentation of Windows around 3.11 era, where the developers already threw their hands up in the air over realizing that, no matter how good, powerful, integrated and interoperable components they design, they can't insist on people using them, because marketers gonna market and suits will want their apps to be unique and branded and shite.
I like https://airtable.com/, https://linear.app/, and https://height.app/. They are all pushing the limits of interactive web apps, not always entirely successfully, but the overall product experience is mostly smooth and polished. I wouldn't really be able to say what it means to be "considered good UX by webdev standards," but I develop for the web and I like these three.
> they are all pushing the limits of interactive web apps
I wonder if you realise that "pushing the limits of interactive web apps" has about as much functionality as Norton Commander/DOS Navigator from the 1990s?
It's a damning fact for the web platform that what is "pushing the limits of interactive web apps" is literally nothing more than tables and lists.
I absolutely realize that! And indeed, that’s the whole point: to have web apps with the rich interactivity, responsiveness and performance, accessibility, etc. of good native apps. We’re really not there yet, but we’re making progress.
They look so awesome... wait... neither of them has a working demo at the top of the front page. There is no need to try to talk me into loving something - it wont work. Just show me as many working demos as it takes and show me code. Clearly I'm not the audience. Happy it works for you tho :)
I’m not trying to trick you into liking something and I wasn’t intending to provide demos. They require creating an account because they are serious productivity tools, not cute demos.
I don't know if it's because the HN community is dominated by backend developers who think UIs are pointless and should be generated by code, but it's really annoying.
No, we shouldn't be stuck in a rigid framework of shitty premade components with zero customizability.
Modern web interfaces can be designed to be user friendly, performant, and good looking.
Try marketing a web app which looks like a Java applet from 2003 and let's see how many users you get. As much as so many developers hate to admit it, things looking modern, polished and well designed is important.