19 votes

Tildes app ?

Posted by Five

Any plans for a tildes app?. I’m often on mobile and an app would probably run better than the website on browser

32 comments

  1. [17]
    spit-evil-olive-tips
    Link
    Short answer: no, there's unlikely to be an official mobile app. Previous threads: https://tildes.net/~tildes/d7f/an_app_for_tildes https://tildes.net/~tildes/b7g/tildes_mobile_app...

    Short answer: no, there's unlikely to be an official mobile app.

    Previous threads:

    https://tildes.net/~tildes/d7f/an_app_for_tildes

    https://tildes.net/~tildes/b7g/tildes_mobile_app

    https://tildes.net/~tildes/abb/are_there_any_thoughts_for_a_notification_system_or_a_mobile_app

    https://tildes.net/~tildes/7bn/mobile_use

    I use Hermit as a wrapper around the mobile website and haven't had any issues with it.

    There's also been discussion of eventually having an API to allow unofficial / third-party clients, but that hasn't been implemented yet.

    27 votes
    1. [7]
      Whom
      Link Parent
      Hermit even has Tildes as one of its ready-made options, with bookmarks for the different groups.

      Hermit even has Tildes as one of its ready-made options, with bookmarks for the different groups.

      10 votes
      1. [6]
        TurdFerguson
        Link Parent
        Have you had any success with the Notifications? I tried the following: URL: https://tildes.net/notifications CSS Selector: .comment-excerpt It gives the correct number of total notifications when...

        Have you had any success with the Notifications? I tried the following:

        URL: https://tildes.net/notifications
        CSS Selector: .comment-excerpt

        It gives the correct number of total notifications when I press the Test button but I have yet to actually get a notification.

        1 vote
        1. [4]
          Deimos
          Link Parent
          Try just with .comment, if you still haven't gotten it working.

          Try just with .comment, if you still haven't gotten it working.

          1. [3]
            TurdFerguson
            Link Parent
            Thanks, I tried that too but maybe didn't leave it long enough. Mind replying to this comment to test it again?

            Thanks, I tried that too but maybe didn't leave it long enough. Mind replying to this comment to test it again?

            1. [2]
              Deimos
              Link Parent
              A test reply.

              A test reply.

              1 vote
              1. TurdFerguson
                (edited )
                Link Parent
                Thanks. At least this time I got a notification. It was all of my prior notifications in one, and the most recent one was your previous comment, not this one. I'll leave it for now and see if it...

                Thanks. At least this time I got a notification. It was all of my prior notifications in one, and the most recent one was your previous comment, not this one. I'll leave it for now and see if it sorts itself out.

                Appreciate the assistance!

                Edit: I think the URL needs to be https://tildes.net/notifications/unread actually so let me try that.

                Edit2: Both appear to work with .comment instead of .comment-excerpt. Thanks Deimos!

                3 votes
    2. [9]
      the_walrus
      Link Parent
      What exactly does Hermit do? I've never heard of it before.

      What exactly does Hermit do? I've never heard of it before.

      5 votes
      1. [9]
        Comment deleted by author
        Link Parent
        1. [5]
          the_walrus
          Link Parent
          Oh that sounds pretty neat. Thanks for your explanation.

          Oh that sounds pretty neat. Thanks for your explanation.

          4 votes
          1. [5]
            Comment deleted by author
            Link Parent
            1. [4]
              kfwyre
              Link Parent
              I'll echo this and be another voice praising Hermit as a great Tildes app! I use Firefox Focus as my main mobile browser which clears history and cookies automatically, so Hermit is my way of...

              I'll echo this and be another voice praising Hermit as a great Tildes app! I use Firefox Focus as my main mobile browser which clears history and cookies automatically, so Hermit is my way of staying logged into Tildes and making it feel like it's an app instead of a website.

              It's a testament to how good the code and design of the site are that I often forget I'm really just using a web browser. It feels like an app under my fingertips, and I never feel limited in using the site on a phone.

              6 votes
              1. [3]
                elcuello
                Link Parent
                Hey, I'm just going to ask some questions because maybe you know. So I use FF Focus too but with iOS. Are we talking bookmark to home screen as the easiest solution then? I also use FF Focus for...

                Hey, I'm just going to ask some questions because maybe you know. So I use FF Focus too but with iOS. Are we talking bookmark to home screen as the easiest solution then? I also use FF Focus for Facebook and log in every time. Can I trust them to save my password and log in with one tap?

                1 vote
                1. [2]
                  kfwyre
                  Link Parent
                  I don't think there's a way of having FF Focus save passwords, so for sites that I'd like to stay logged into, I keep a separate install of regular Firefox and simply don't clear the history (I...

                  I don't think there's a way of having FF Focus save passwords, so for sites that I'd like to stay logged into, I keep a separate install of regular Firefox and simply don't clear the history (I use Hermit for Tildes only, so all other perma-login sites I put through Firefox). FF Focus gets my main browser use, and I only open regular Firefox when I want to access a specific handful of sites.

                  I don't use Facebook, so I can't speak to their trustworthiness about saving logins. I have a password manager (Bitwarden) that takes care of that for me, though I believe Apple has a built-in version of their own password manager on iOS which would be worth using IMO.

                  2 votes
        2. AugustusFerdinand
          Link Parent
          Everyone has their own preferences of course, but I'm lost on the use here. Can you expand on what you find better in it over a browser? Tildes works in a mobile browser just fine, I have a...

          Everyone has their own preferences of course, but I'm lost on the use here. Can you expand on what you find better in it over a browser?

          Tildes works in a mobile browser just fine, I have a shortcut to it on one of my screens, and the borders/URL bar of a browser disappear once you start to scroll. Shortcuts to multiple pages in the app is solved via a browser's favorites or the blank page that'll have tiles you can set.

          2 votes
        3. [2]
          babypuncher
          Link Parent
          Would you happen to know of an equivalent for iOS?

          Would you happen to know of an equivalent for iOS?

          2 votes
          1. Deimos
            Link Parent
            It's not as good as Hermit, but the site should add a button along the lines of "Add to home screen" somewhere, that will split it out into something slightly more app-like. I'm not sure exactly...

            It's not as good as Hermit, but the site should add a button along the lines of "Add to home screen" somewhere, that will split it out into something slightly more app-like. I'm not sure exactly how it behaves on iOS.

  2. [5]
    aphoenix
    Link
    There's no intention to make a Tildes app. The site is intended to work on mobile with full functionality. People are welcome to use the API when it is complete to make apps. citation

    There's no intention to make a Tildes app. The site is intended to work on mobile with full functionality.

    People are welcome to use the API when it is complete to make apps.

    citation

    18 votes
    1. [2]
      imperialismus
      Link Parent
      I love this answer, because it’s verbatim what I want to tell every other website: I already have an app for your site, it’s called a web browser. Reddit displays huge banners almost forcing you...

      I love this answer, because it’s verbatim what I want to tell every other website: I already have an app for your site, it’s called a web browser. Reddit displays huge banners almost forcing you to install the app, and if you click to remove them, they show up on page reload. I had to start using the desktop version on mobile because of it. Websites are constantly demanding that I install an app on mobile, usually by obnoxiously ‘reminding’ me as if I didn’t get the message the first 500 times, but I have no desire to do so when 99% of websites offer no value added over a well-designed mobile site.

      To me, an app for a website seems to offer only benefits to the owner of the site, not the users. Obviously there are exceptions but almost all the mobile apps I’ve installed, I only installed because the websites were deliberately user-unfriendly in order to force me to install the app.

      18 votes
      1. AugustusFerdinand
        Link Parent
        Then you're rewarding their behavior. There are alternatives to every site and those that make browsing without an app are simply never visited again.

        Obviously there are exceptions but almost all the mobile apps I’ve installed, I only installed because the websites were deliberately user-unfriendly in order to force me to install the app.

        Then you're rewarding their behavior. There are alternatives to every site and those that make browsing without an app are simply never visited again.

        3 votes
    2. [2]
      cmccabe
      Link Parent
      Would anyone else be interested in building a command line client based on the API?

      Would anyone else be interested in building a command line client based on the API?

      4 votes
      1. [2]
        Comment deleted by author
        Link Parent
        1. tomf
          Link Parent
          I figured I'd give browsh a try with tildes. It's not perfect, but it works well for reading. The color scheme might need to be changed if you're using Dracula.

          I figured I'd give browsh a try with tildes. It's not perfect, but it works well for reading. The color scheme might need to be changed if you're using Dracula.

          3 votes
  3. [5]
    Silbern
    (edited )
    Link
    Last time I heard, no, Tildes was intended to stay as a website only. It's much easier to maintain a website than an app, especially with Tildes being in such an early stage of its development....

    Last time I heard, no, Tildes was intended to stay as a website only. It's much easier to maintain a website than an app, especially with Tildes being in such an early stage of its development. The website's also pretty quick, which negates the usual need for an app - even my 10 year old Epic 4G with only 512MB of RAM can handle it no problem, and it's one of the things I love most about Tildes.

    That being said, I believe there are plans to introduce an API to Tildes that would let an external service interface with it eventually, and I believe someone actually made a basic Python API already. If Tildes had a public API, there would be no technical barriers preventing someone else from developing an app.

    8 votes
    1. [4]
      Five
      Link Parent
      The website is one of the best I’ve ever used on mobile nothing looks funny and nothing is missing from what I have seen it’s also lighting fast one of the the only things it is missing is I don’t...

      The website is one of the best I’ve ever used on mobile nothing looks funny and nothing is missing from what I have seen it’s also lighting fast one of the the only things it is missing is I don’t get a notification when someone replies to a comment I have to check the website for that

      9 votes
      1. Omnicrola
        Link Parent
        Personally I consider this lack-of-festure a feature. I suppress almost all notifications on my phone. Almost nothing is actually so urgent that I need to respond to it immediately. I'd rather...

        I don’t get a notification when someone replies to a comment I have to check the website for that

        Personally I consider this lack-of-festure a feature. I suppress almost all notifications on my phone. Almost nothing is actually so urgent that I need to respond to it immediately. I'd rather check things at my own pace.

        6 votes
      2. the_walrus
        Link Parent
        Exactly. It's like the OG responsive design. Reminds me of how reddit started (and stayed, for quite a long time).

        Exactly. It's like the OG responsive design. Reminds me of how reddit started (and stayed, for quite a long time).

        4 votes
      3. Greg
        Link Parent
        Late to the party, but since this thread has been bumped to the top today: you don't actually need an app for push notifications, there's a cross-platform web API that does the same job. @Deimos...

        Late to the party, but since this thread has been bumped to the top today: you don't actually need an app for push notifications, there's a cross-platform web API that does the same job.

        @Deimos had the following to say on the relevant GitLab issue:

        This could be a bit of a controversial decision (that I'm honestly not totally certain about), but I'm going to close this. I think browser notifications are hugely over-used, and really aren't necessary for something like Tildes. People should choose when they want to check the site, not have it shoved in front of them all the time just because someone replied to one of their comments or something similar. There's nothing that people urgently need to know about.

        I just wanted to point out that it's a deliberate choice, not an app/web limitation. It happens to be a choice that I agree with, but it does sound like there may be scope to revisit the question in future if a significant number of people disagree.

        4 votes
  5. [3]
    that_knave
    Link
    A lot of folks here sing the praises of Hermit, but I’m on an iOS device. Does anyone have an Apple alternative?

    A lot of folks here sing the praises of Hermit, but I’m on an iOS device. Does anyone have an Apple alternative?

    3 votes
    1. [2]
      Amarok
      Link Parent
      I don't think there is one yet. Chimbori did post a screenshot of Hermit for iOS on reddit a little while ago, though. Doesn't look like it's been released yet - or it could be that he's still...

      I don't think there is one yet. Chimbori did post a screenshot of Hermit for iOS on reddit a little while ago, though. Doesn't look like it's been released yet - or it could be that he's still jumping through Apple's app marketplace maze.

      3 votes
      1. that_knave
        Link Parent
        As at home as I feel on iOS, I completely agree that the App Store guidelines can be a pain for app developers to get around. I beta test a number of Reddit apps and have found that they run into...

        As at home as I feel on iOS, I completely agree that the App Store guidelines can be a pain for app developers to get around. I beta test a number of Reddit apps and have found that they run into issues constantly that delay them pushing out small point updates and not full fledged numbered updates. I guess that's the price to pay to keep a majority of garbage apps out of the store. Oh well.

        1 vote
  6. joelthelion
    Link
    What browser do you use? With a decent browser (I currently use Firefox preview), the site works really well. I really don't see how an app would be better.

    What browser do you use? With a decent browser (I currently use Firefox preview), the site works really well. I really don't see how an app would be better.