Web version or dedicated software ?

Lately, I stumbled about different content about app/dedicated software vs web pages. For example, this poll on the Fediverse:

I am part of the 40% that clicked on « Usually separate program ». The reason I clicked « usually » and not « always » is that I do find it useful to have a quick web access where either on the go or on another device. That’s a great fallback mechanism. But if I can have a good dedicated software, preferably either a CLI/TUI one or a minimal GUI one, I 100% prefer!

For multiple reasons, but in no particular order:

• I already have (way too) many Firefox tabs in multiple windows opened… Sucking my RAM and CPU like crazy
• Often, standalone apps have better keyboard shortcuts, even more so for CLI/TUI applications of course
• Usually more usable as well, the app usually focus on only doing what is needed by the app
• It helps me focus as “this app is for doing this, do not get distracted” by another tab or anything

But when I read this post from John: One Bit of Anecdata That the Web Is Languishing Vis-à-Vis Native Mobile Apps, I noticed this quote in particular:

There’s absolutely no reason the mobile web experience shouldn’t be fast, reliable, well-designed, and keep you logged in. If one of the two should suck, it should be the app that sucks and the website that works well. You shouldn’t be expected to carry around a bundle of software from your utility company in your pocket. But it’s the other way around. I suspect that my instinctive belief that a service company or utility should focus its customer service efforts on the web first, and native apps second, is every bit as outdated as my stubborn belief that invite ought not be used as a noun. (Invitation is sitting right there.)

That is interesting, because when I read that, I thought: « Yes I fully agree! I don’t want to install 100s of apps on my phone! ». But isn’t this ironic? I want to install “app” (I prefer simply calling them “software” though, because I’m old) on my desktop/laptop computers, but I don’t want that on my mobile phone… And then I checked my phone usage… And while I don’t use a lot of applications, most of the recurring tasks on my phone leverage a dedicated application. The only thing i use a lot of my phone that isn’t via an app is my RSS reader that I use through the web (but installed as an app via Firefox for easy access).

Isn’t it a little paradoxical? Surprising? Crazy?

Maybe… Feels like I don’t even agree with myself… But after a bit more thinking about this, I realized: it depends on the level of interaction I have with the site. For anything “browsing like”, I prefer doing it in the dedicated app for that: a web browser. Dedicated protocol deserve their own app for sure (eg: signal (messaging), k9 (email), element (matrix client), etc…), but also if I have a lot of interaction with them and spend a lot of time, I like something dedicated (eg: tusky (mastodon client)). But then I also use some apps because I don’t like the website: organic maps (maps - any map web version is slow and barely usable), wallabag (read it later - I really don’t like the web UI even though I love the software implementation) , newpipe (youtube - do i need to say why?), …

One quote I found from Karl resonated with me. The original French version:

Je ne pense pas que tous les usages devraient passer par une application Web dans un navigateur. […] Je ne veux pas coder dans un navigateur Web. Je ne veux pas manipuler mes photos dans un navigateur Web. Je ne veux pas écouter la musique dans un navigateur Web. etc. Je suis de la vieille école ou le Web est pour l’expression et la lecture, mais pas pour les apps.

https://www.la-grange.net/2025/01/16/rose

Or in English:

I don’t think every use case should be a web app in a browser. […] I don’t want to code in a web browser. I don’t want to manipulate my photos in a web browser. I don’t want to listen to music in a web browser. etc. I’m from the old school where the web is for expression and reading, but not for apps.

Exactly that. Reading and browsing the web in general should only be in browser. But anything requiring more interaction I prefer a dedicated software. Would that be on my phone or on my desktop / laptop. And of course it should be a FOSS software too :). Web browsers are for the web though, not everything else.