Webapp is pretty well understood though. As long as there has been WWW there have been webapps.
Comment on The Website vs. Web App Dichotomy Doesn't Exist | jakelazaroff.com
kaitco@lemmy.world 10 months ago
You know what really irks me? Lately people are using the terms “website” and “app” synonymously and there’s just no reason for it.
I was on the phone with customer service for my grandmother a few weeks ago, and the agent on the phone kept saying that my grandmother needed to go “on the app” to set her router name. I went three rounds with the agent explaining that my 94-year-old grandmother didn’t really have a phone capable getting to the app before I realized that the agent meant website, but was still saying “app”.
The improper usage of the words is far more an issue than the discussion about whether JavaScript is creating an application experience that is no longer a “website”.
I get that my generation is aging out of the “target audience” for tons of things, but I’m willing to stand my ground on this one til the day I die. An app and a website are two different things. 😡
bionicjoey@lemmy.ca 10 months ago
kaitco@lemmy.world 10 months ago
Well that’s just goes back to the crux of the article. At what point is the web_site_ a web_app_?
But, more to the point “app” entered the casual lexicon about 15 years when smartphones became ubiquitous. If you’re speaking to someone and they say “is there a web_site_ I can use, like on a laptop?” and they respond with “yes, there’s an app”, it’s not a matter of webapp versus website, but of lack of understanding that not everything that showcases the internet is an “app”.
isVeryLoud@lemmy.ca 10 months ago
Web developer here.
If your site has a lot of interactivity, it is a web app.
A read-only site like Wikipedia is not a web app.
A store page is not a web app.
Facebook, Lemmy, Reddit, Twitter, etc. are web apps because they provide a lot of interactivity.
I agree that the line between web apps and websites is blurry, but my thinking is if a website is built mostly using front-end technologies, it is a web app, if it’s built mostly with JSP or PHP, it’s a website. Things like the WordPress admin panel blur the line between the two as they offer lots of interactivity, but is mostly PHP-based.
asdfasdfasdf@lemmy.world 10 months ago
Also a web developer. I don’t understand the reason you’d even need a common term to distinguish between the two. Wikipedia and Facebook are websites. Tons of websites have interactivity. It’s a spectrum.
bionicjoey@lemmy.ca 10 months ago
But, more to the point “app” entered the casual lexicon about 15 years when smartphones became ubiquitous.
The term “application” has had a well understood meaning for far longer than that. That’s simply when people started conflating “app” with “mobile app” due to some clever marketing by "App"le.
If you’re speaking to someone and they say “is there a web_site_ I can use, like on a laptop?” and they respond with “yes, there’s an app”
I think that answer would be pretty unambiguous. If you hear that answer after asking that question and your first thought is that they mean “smartphone app”, you could just ask “is it a smartphone app or web app?” But if you had already told them you wanted to access something from a laptop and they tell you there is an “app” then you can normally safely assume that it’s not a mobile app.
kaitco@lemmy.world 10 months ago
Since we’re being pedantic about the use of these words, I think it’s very clear that I said the word “app” because part of casual use around the time that smartphones came into common use in reference to the mobile app.
Before then, most applications were referred to as “programs” and were generally understood to be run on full computers. While mobile phones had mobile applications, no one was on their Nokia talking about using the Snake “app” on their phone. The word “app” (not application) hadn’t entered common usage.
But if you had already told them you wanted to access something from a laptop and they tell you there is an “app” then you can normally safely assume that it’s not a mobile app.
Dear Friend, that is the exact frustration with that conversation. I ask “is there a website” and they responded with “yes, there’s an app”. To remove any assumptions from the conversation, why not respond with “Yes, there’s a website”? It would be the same as if I contacted a shoe store and asked “Hey do you carry women’s sizes?” and the clerk responds with “Yeah, we have shoes.” My question isn’t about the existence of shoes, but specifically women’s shoes. My interaction with that customer service agent was frustrating because they refused to acknowledge that there’s a common difference between an “app” meaning mobile app and a website. To them “app” and “website” were the same thing, and I argue that they are not.
totallynotarobot@lemmy.world 10 months ago
Have you somehow never interacted with technical support or customer service?
The moron I got at my isp the other day insisted that “internet” and “wifi” were the same thing.
You can in no way assume that because you said laptop, they are directing you to a web app.
masterspace@lemmy.ca 10 months ago
As an engineer who builds web sites / apps, I can assure you that no, they are not two different things.
For instance, the non profit news organization that I’m working for right now has a website, an android app and an iOS app, with all three being created from the exact same code base that is mostly JavaScript files.
Hell if you have to use the Google Chat app for work (their equivalent of slack / teams), you install it by literally just adding the website to your desktop.
VonReposti@feddit.dk 10 months ago
As a software developer a website is not an app and a web app is not an app. A web app is a hybrid solution and calling it just an app is pure confusion for the end users. Always refer to your web app as a website for end users unless you want them to literally install an application.
masterspace@lemmy.ca 10 months ago
Well you’re just flat out wrong then.
Tell me what makes them different other than their delivery method or stop talking. Just saying ‘nuh uh they’re different’ is not an argument or a rebuttal to my point that the code running them is literally identical.
itsnotits@lemmy.world 10 months ago
how its* code gets to your phone
anticonnor@lemmy.world 10 months ago
Another one that gets me is “portal”. I’m often asked to create a this portal or that portal, but once I finally get them to describe the requirements it’s just a standard web form or static web page.
asdfasdfasdf@lemmy.world 10 months ago
Is anything a legit portal? Or are you saying people should just stop using the term altogether? What’s the difference between a portal and a website?