Developer perspective: Mobile Cloud Applications vs. local applications

At the moment, there is a lot of controversy about which applications are better-native applications or mobile cloud applications. To analyze the problem in depth, let's look at the differences between the two applications from a development perspective.

A native application is installed directly on a mobile device, and developers will develop a separate version of the application for each mobile device. Native applications may be stored on the external storage of mobile devices or can be installed on a mobile device from a public or private application store.

Native applications are developed for specific devices and their operating systems. Data related to the native application is also stored on the device and, of course, it is possible that the relevant data is not stored on the device but is accessed remotely by the native application. Based on the non-networking features of the above native applications, Internet connectivity may not be necessary for this application.

Native applications have the ability to use the hardware and functionality of specific devices, which means that native applications can take full advantage of the latest technologies on mobile devices, such as Global Positioning System (GPS) and cameras. This can be considered a place where native applications are superior to mobile cloud computing applications.

Mobile cloud computing applications are very similar to web-based applications. Their main similarity is that mobile cloud computing applications and Web applications run on servers other than mobile devices, and need to be displayed using browsers on mobile devices and using the Application user interface (UI). In addition, they are targeted to support multiple mobile devices, rather than supporting only one specific mobile device, as native applications do.

Mobile cloud applications do not need to be downloaded and installed on mobile devices. Users can view the interface of a mobile cloud computing application through a browser window on a remote device. Mobile applications are running on mobile cloud computing, so using an application like this will require an Internet connection. When data is transmitted between mobile devices and mobile cloud applications, JSON is typically used via HTTP.

Mobile cloud computing applications can come from rewriting native applications (that is, the need to enable applications to run in Mobile cloud computing), applications developed by customers for mobile devices, or Third-party applications downloaded from the outside to cloud computing. Some businesses provide both native and mobile cloud versions for their applications.

The difference between mobile cloud applications and local applications

The apparent difference between a local application and a mobile cloud computing application is obvious. Some of the obvious differences that affect development include:

• Mobile application environment: Mobile Cloud computing server or mobile device

• Appearance and usage experience: for mobile local applications, it is run on a local mobile device; For mobile cloud computing applications, it is simulated. Local applications provide notifications, such as iOS notifications, and mobile cloud applications do not natively support notifications.

• Access to features on devices: Local applications can directly access hardware and functionality on devices such as GPS, cameras, motion, and sound. Mobile cloud applications may require an application programming interface (API) to access these functions indirectly.

• User interface speed: In general, the native application is faster because mobile cloud computing applications display the user interface through a mobile device browser. The local application interface runs on the mobile device, eliminating any browser-related resource overhead.

Choosing to develop mobile cloud computing applications rather than local applications is often the result of developers ' willingness to make applications easier to migrate to different devices at the expense of functionality.

Development of local applications and mobile cloud applications

For local applications, each mobile application development platform (such as iOS and Android) uses its own development process and has its own native programming language, such as Java (Android), C (iOS), and Visual C + + ( Windows Mobile).

Local applications typically have application development tools, such as Apple's iOS software Development Kit, Google's Android development tool, and Microsoft's. NET Compact Framework (. NET CF). Sybase and PhoneGap provide other development tools for native applications. By contrast, the development tools for mobile cloud computing applications do not depend on any mobile device operating system.

Mobile cloud applications use programming languages such as HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript, and use the Web application framework on the server side, such as C + +, or on the basis of developers ' preferences, such as PHP, rails, and Python.

For local applications and mobile cloud computing applications, tools and frameworks can help develop software deployed on multiple operating system platforms and Web browsers.

Apple's development platform also helps developers of native applications use the iOS notification feature to make sound warnings or to display a visual warning or a text warning on the screen. Mobile cloud applications can access a limited number of local features and information on mobile devices. This access is usually done through the API.

Issues to consider for mobile applications

There are a number of issues to consider before creating a mobile application. These include:

• How many mobile device platforms do you plan to support?

• Do you have the "Use your Own Device" (BYOD) strategy?

• Do you need to use the hardware and software features on the device?

• How important is security?

• What is the purpose of such an application?

• How important is data and system integration?

If Cross-platform compatibility is a problem, it is certain to implement a BYOD strategy within the company, so mobile cloud computing applications are a more appropriate option. However, if you need a business application that uses the existing capabilities of many devices, native applications may be the right choice.

Security is the biggest weakness of mobile devices. Their portability and size make them easier to lose or steal than laptops. The native application accesses the business data remotely and then leaves the relevant business data on the device so that if the device is lost or stolen, it poses a greater risk, intentionally or unintentionally. The data for mobile cloud applications is kept in mobile cloud computing, not on mobile devices. As a result, if a device that uses mobile cloud computing applications is lost or stolen, it poses a much less security risk.

Mobile cloud computing applications are a good choice if you are developing mobile applications for internal use or customer use, and the applications you develop need to support a wide variety of mobile devices. If you are interested in developing and selling mobile applications, native applications are a good choice because they can be placed in one or more application stores frequented by customers.

When a mobile business application accesses a database (which is also the most common), you need to integrate your application with your current system. This is similar to integrating Third-party Customer resource management or enterprise resource planning products with other parts of your existing system, which is not a simple job. When data consolidation is necessary, mobile cloud applications are the best choice because your mobile applications and other parts of your system run in the same cloud, rather than on a remote mobile device (written in a programming language that does not support cloud computing).

(Responsible editor: Lu Guang)