9/18/2019 Build Apps with JavaScript - FuGenx Technologies - Medium

Build Apps with JavaScript

FuGenx Technologies
Sep 18 · 4 min read

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9/18/2019 Build Apps with JavaScript - FuGenx Technologies - Medium

If you’re a web developer who wants to release your work on iOS and
Android, you might worry that you face a steep learning curve. There’s no
need to learn a new programming language from scratch or adopt entirely
new concepts to harness the amazing features of these mobile platforms. All
you need is a basic grasp of Meteor, a platform for building mobile and web
apps using a single JavaScript codebase.

Building Mobile Apps: The Hard Way

Traditionally, web developers who wanted to build a native app for iOS had
to learn Objective C, the main language that the iOS operating system runs
on. Recently, Apple introduced a new programming language called Swift,
which is supposedly easier for new mobile developers to use; still, building
an iOS app in Swift still involves learning a new language, which can be
confusing if you are used to programming in JavaScript.

Developing your iOS mobile app is only the start of the journey. If you want
to offer the same experience to Android smartphone and tablet users, then
you need to use Android Studio or Eclipse to create a new Android app with
the same functionality.

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9/18/2019 Build Apps with JavaScript - FuGenx Technologies - Medium

The traditional method of building native iOS and Android apps can be a
huge time sink for developers. This is because you need to develop a wide
range of new skills to bring your app to both mobile platforms.

Building Mobile Apps: A Better Way

Thankfully, there is a better way for a JavaScript web developer to translate
an existing web app into a mobile offering: Meteor. Meteor is a platform
that allows developers to use the same Javascript code base to build apps for
iOS, Android and the web. Once you learn to develop with Meteor, you can
quickly translate your JavaScript web apps into native mobile apps, without
needing to learn new programming languages.

How Does Meteor Work?

Meteor relies on a technology known as Cordova. This clever technology
allows HTML and JavaScript to run on a mobile phone without using a
browser. It also allows developers to write JavaScript code that controls the
basic functions of mobile devices. For example, a developer who uses
Cordova can write JavaScript code that can access the camera function of
an iOS or Android mobile device, just as it would access the webcam on a
laptop or desktop computer.
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9/18/2019 Build Apps with JavaScript - FuGenx Technologies - Medium

Why Use Meteor?

Meteor takes the powerful functionality of Cordova and simplifies it. The
Meteor interface is easy to use and allows you to quickly compile, test and
deploy apps, cutting down the time spent trying to figure out how to get
apps working on different iOS and Android devices.

Hot Code Push

Building your iOS or Android mobile app isn’t the end of the story. You’ll
want to update the app to add new features, fix bugs that your users have
identified, or perhaps even change the design of the app to make it easier to
use. To avoid having a lot of your time sucked up by refining your app and
waiting for the App Store to approve your changes, you need a way of
automating the process. This is where Meteor’s hot code push feature comes
in.

The update process for mobile devices has traditionally not been simple.
First, you must make the changes to your app, and then you need to submit
the new version to the App Store for approval. Once the app is approved,
users must update their apps via the Apple App Store or the Google Play
Store, which they may choose not to do.

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Meteor fixes the problem of updating mobile apps by bundling Javascript

and HTML code into the mobile application. When you push out an update
for your web app on your server, the new code is automatically downloaded
to the native mobile app, so that users get the new version without you
having to resubmit your app to the App Store for approval. You benefit from
an easier update process, while your users don’t have to wait as long for
essential updates to become available.

The great advantage of using Meteor is that you don’t need to hire iOS and
Android developers to bring the functionality of your web apps to mobile
devices. Meteor allows you to use your existing JavaScript development
skills to build your apps and push them out to multiple platforms, which is
much easier than developing an app independently for each operating
system. As a result, you can save time and money while building your app.

The other great advantage of Meteor is that it gives you ongoing control
over your app. If you hire a developer to create an iOS or Android app for
your business, you need to maintain a relationship with that developer so
that he or she can handle the updates. When you use Meteor to create your
app, you can update the JavaScript code yourself and use the hot code push
function to immediately deploy the changes to users on all platforms.

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9/18/2019 Build Apps with JavaScript - FuGenx Technologies - Medium

In summary, Meteor is currently the best way to deliver a mobile app in the
lowest amount of time. Try Meteor now to see for yourself how easy app
development can be.

. . .

Originally published at https://www.meteor.com.

Mobile App Development JavaScript Javascript Frameworks App Development Mobile Apps

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