For years Web App developers have dreaded the browser fragmentation and having to support IE. It required a lot of extra finess in both Web frameworks and Web App code to make sure things worked close to intended across all browsers specifically IE.
Now that the focus has shifted to the mobile web, history is repeating itself. While HTML5 is generally supported on all modern Smart phones, and the most popular browsers are Web-kit based, it seems that those in charge have not learnt from the lessons of the past.
In my personal experience with various mobile web frameworks, the Android platform in general and the fragmentation between Android devices is a huge problem. Once of the current best mobile web frameworks, Sencha Touch, works like a dream on the iPhone, but the same code on Android is unpredictable at times. This is exactly why with its second release, Sencha is concentrating on addressing performance and specifically for Android.
Needless to say, this is only part of the issue with The Android platform and its fragmentation. Writing native apps, or even working with ubiquitous frameworks like Appcelerator Titanium is also a nightmare when it come sto Android.
Don’t get me wrong, I think Android has potential, but as I have said before, if you can’t control the Hardware and Software, you cannot reproduce the experience of the iPhone. Here is hoping that with its aquisition of Motorola Mobility, Google can create a better Android, cuz the alternative is to suffer the same fate as IE has.
Leave a Reply