In the evening of September 21, wechat issued a public platform to some public numbers – wechat application number (small program) internal test invitation, has always been relatively low-key wechat in this night no one ignored it.

From personal blog :Damonare’s personal blog

Do you really know the wechat app that became popular overnight?

In his first public speech on January 11, Zhang Xiaolong, founder of wechat and senior vice president of Tencent, said that wechat was planning to launch an app to allow more developers to have better functions on the platform. The introduction of this talk is also based on the context of Zhang xiaolong’s speech:

  1. Entrepreneurs tend to do the public number, low threshold, easy to promote low cost

  2. APP service numbers sometimes fail to live up to founders’ expectations

  3. Reduce the use of low frequency APP, save a lot of memory and space

  4. Wechat users are more inclined to run out of time to reduce wasted time and more in line with the pace of modern life

However, the concept of wechat application number is very simple. Users only need to pay attention to the subscription number to get functions like APP, no matter where they are, as long as a smartphone can be done. The role of wechat application number is similar to that of APP Store and Google Play, which only needs to provide a platform for application promotion.

Application number, subscription number, service number and enterprise number are currently four parallel systems. Wechat team said that the application number is a kind of application that can be installed and used without downloading, note that it is not software. Users can scan or search to open the application, which reflects the concept of running out, users do not need to worry about the impact of too many applications on the memory space, how fast and convenient without installation and uninstall.

At present, the mini program is still in the inner stage. After the application is fully open, the subject type is still the developer of individuals, enterprises, governments, media or other organizations. The application number follows the characteristics of the previous public account, which is connected with the user data of the developer’s existing APP background through wechat joint login, but does not support the direct jump between the application number and APP.

Developers after I considered WeChat application to launch the biggest beneficiaries, application, development cost is reduced, the majority of developers can develop products suitable for the browser application, can meet the demand of the use of different operating systems, can be more focus on marketing and promotion work, everyone can become a product manager. Javascript engineers will become more and more valuable.

Why is he so hot?

Circle of friends, weibo when I learned that the media medium WeChat released after the news, the first to know is the H5 or Web APP, but the actual WeChat application number is brought about by the guest and retained, frequency, and the ability of a balance, we should not to look at its features in isolation, but should put yourself in the landscape and environment, experience of the Internet, After all, it’s all about getting back to the user experience.

Is the wechat application number a Web APP? Does this mean that most programmers will lose their jobs?

Students who know more about the Internet know that there is a relative competition between Native APP and Web APP. The biggest advantage of local APP is that it uses hardware resources incisively and vividly. It is far superior to Web APP in terms of performance, design, effect and smoothness, similar to PC browser and software.

Once the wechat application number is launched, it does represent that most entrepreneurs solve most of your needs through the Web APP on the application number. However, if programmers can enhance the function realization of the Web APP, greater improvement will be achieved.

Java once launched applets, equivalent to embedded in the browser application, can also use some local features to achieve functions, the introduction of wechat application number actually turned this environment into wechat and its ecosystem. At the same time, the number WeChat application provides a rich framework control and system call ability, as well as the framework, view, all kinds of basic control, forms, multimedia, maps, canvas, WebSocket, data storage, location information, equipment information (application information, accelerometer and compass, etc.), the ability is likely to be achieved by JS SDK.

For the current Internet environment, we are fully capable of making applications that are not limited to Web apps, but only the imagination and execution of entrepreneurs can truly move users’ products and services. In the past, Internet entrepreneurs need websites and mobile Internet entrepreneurs need APPS. Now, more and more entrepreneurs are more inclined to promote ideas and determine the feasibility through wechat subscription accounts and public accounts. If the current wechat application number, can really deeply solve this problem, I believe that the application number this move, can really be called wise, wechat will also shoulder the banner of the Internet, go farther and farther.

The cost of independent APP promotion is indeed high. The launch of an APP needs to be known by users first, then downloaded, then used, then continued to use, then willing to use its value-added services, and then available everywhere. It is difficult to imagine.

Do you want a whole bunch of peaks to go to the front end?

In fact, before the official debut of wechat mini program, you can experience similar “mini program” on the iPhone iMessage app. With the latest version of iOS 10, Apple has essentially replicated the App Store on iMessage, where you can not only send memes, but also play mini-games with friends and share information about other apps. But unlike wechat’s miniprogram, iMessage uses the iPhone’s own frame, not the Web’s.

Making apps “web” has long been a trend that technology companies are trying to push, and “platformizing” powerful communications tools is one they are exploring. In addition to wechat’s Miniprogram and Apple’s iMessage app, Facebook has introduced a simple app development interface for Messager, allowing users to order taxis and food directly from a chat window.

Google has long wanted to turn Chrome into a super Web App platform, and recently introduced a concept called Progressive Web App, which refers to apps that run inside the browser. This kind of App is similar to the principle of wechat small program, that is, the framework and process required by the application will be cached in the local browser, so that the H5 program can still be used offline.

The Progressive Web App is supported by Google’s Chrome browser and other major browsers such as Firefox and Opera, and it provides a unified API for developers under Google’s leadership. In contrast, wechat released small programs at this time only in their own platform to follow up.

In this way, the big change in mobile application development and distribution is really coming. “Stop making apps,” a lot of people say. So, now add the second sentence. “Please build mobile web apps”, and JavaScript programmers are in even greater demand. For developers, it was an earthquake.

However, it is not difficult to imagine that the developers of small programs will also face the same restrictions as the operation of wechat public accounts, such as sharing app content to friends, content review rules have to follow wechat – wechat has never been better than Apple in this aspect.

No matter how awesome the front-end technology is, it all needs the support of the cloud technology. The technology stack is still focused on their own duties. It may be that the front door is crowded with people one day, and the back end is hot.

Wrote last

I’ve recently heard a lot of people in the industry arguing about whether native apps or web apps are better, and I really don’t think there’s much to argue about.

This does not require “hard choices” for users. Web apps are lightweight, native apps are more comprehensive, and the right shape for each product is certainly different — everyone will find their shoes.

The emergence of micro channel small program, is undoubtedly a new opportunity, if it goes well, we will see similar to the vigorous development of the public account ecology;

That doesn’t mean native apps are dead, though. We think there’s a lot of creativity out there, and we’d love to see more ideas, shapes, and patterns.

For us, native apps, widgets, web apps, they’re all apps, they’re all part of our digital life.

Share a sentence from a book you read recently

In an age when there is more uncertainty than ever before, change is the only real constant.

The answer to changing times is to turn farmers into sailors rather than better hoes against the waves. Otherwise, the answer to “what should we do?” is not perjured.

Either active or passive. The farmer is on his way to becoming a sailor.

— From commerce, the new form of future network economy

This is a platform for more sharing and communication. Let’s continue the heated discussion.