TY - GEN A1 - Mehlhorn, Nils T1 - Modern Cross-Platform Development for Mobile Applications N2 - While developing for multiple platforms at once seems like a convenient solution, there are several challenges arising when trying to abstract the entire mobile development. This paper is meant to evaluate current cross-platform development for mobile applications. The background for its necessity, its conceptual approach and the problems to face when developing cross-platform were determined and explained in detail. Afterwards, certain solutions were evaluated against the former insights. Based on the results, an informed discussion and conclusion was performed. The mobile environment consist of only two big players by now, Android and iOS. These operating systems differ in architecture, design and consequently in the way applications are developed for each of them. Therefore, high demands are made towards cross-platform solutions. Tools which allow for the creation of applications for multiple platforms at once have to match native applications in regard to user experience and performance. At the same time they need to be able to optimize developments with the goal of being cost efficient. Apache Cordova, Xamarin and NativeScript were selected for evaluation in regard to their ability to meet these requirements. Cordova acts as the comparison group of cross-platform tools. It is the big player in the field and there are reasons for this. However, aspiring solutions with higher nativity and ambitious approaches are emerging. Xamarin and NativeScript deliver top quality results while offering loosely coupled developments. Therefore it is possible to develop high quality applications and still benefit from the advantages of platform-independent solutions. As a consequence mobile development is about to change in the foreseeable future. More sophisticated approaches may lead to a higher number of developments done cross-platform, and rightfully so. KW - cross-plattform KW - mobile KW - Entwicklung KW - cross-platform KW - mobile KW - development KW - M Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:hbz:due62-opus-11276 CY - Düsseldorf ER - TY - THES A1 - Mehlhorn, Nils T1 - Mobile Cross-Platform Development from a Progressive Perspective N2 - Progressive web applications (PWAs) seem to be the next big thing in the mobile landscape. These are web applications with “super-powers” which are meant to provide the kinds of user experiences previously only native mobile applications could. Therefore they are able to match native applications in their capabilities but still thrive on the reachability of the web. They achieve this by implementing certain characteristics which originate from innovative standards and sophisticated best practices. Conveniently, as it is the web, PWAs are working seamlessly cross-platform. One of the closest things to a PWA so far may be an application created with the NativeScript framework. Such an application is also developed with web technologies yet able to use any native interface directly. This is made possible by using a designated runtime for mediating between JavaScript and the mobile system. Eventually, NativeScript is able to offer a high degree nativity yet also of convenient abstraction during development. This paper is set out to deliver further insight into both approaches by contrasting them based on the characteristics of PWAs. For this purpose, these characteristics are elaborated and adjusted to be applicable to native mobile applications. Hence a reasonable basis for what to expect from a native application is derived. Then NativeScript is assessed on this basis by the means of transferable concepts and technologies as well as a prototypic mobile application. Finally, an informed discussion and conclusion is performed based on the results. The comprehensive characteristics of PWAs resolve previous shortcomings with well thought out concepts and new technologies. These are transferable to native mobile applications to a far extent and may also be put into practice with NativeScript. The framework’s approach may be very well called ingenious, however, in the long run it might fall short of the innovative concept of PWAs. Having said this, it is still able to serve as a practical measure for creating appealing user experiences for multiple systems with arguably little effort. Due to large overlap a transformation between the two application types is a realistic option. Either way, web technologies are far from what they used to be and it is exciting to see how the mobile and web landscape will evolve in the future. KW - NativeScript KW - Progressive Web Apps KW - Cross-Plattform Entwicklung KW - NativeScript KW - Progressive Web Apps KW - cross-platform development Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:hbz:due62-opus-11285 ER -