Flutter or React Native: Which One to Choose?

Introduction

Businesses in the mobile app development industry face this challenge at some point--of having to choose a versatile cross platform app development tool. The market is so huge and lucrative that it would be naive to ignore it and stick to just one OS or develop separately for each OS.

Currently there are two options available: React Native and Flutter. Both are open source.

Adopting a technology involves a significant investment of time and effort. What would be a worthwhile choice between these two in the long run, in a volatile market that sees changes almost every day? Let’s find out.

The following sections list the main criteria for choosing a cross-platform app development environment and then compare how React Native and Flutter perform against each of these criteria.

Ease of learning

As the programming language, React Native uses Javascript and Flutter uses Dart.  Dart follows most OOP concepts. So developers in modern OOP languages can start using Dart in a matter of hours. Even experienced developers find Flutter easier to learn than Javascript.The creators of Dart specifically wanted to remove the limitations of JavaScript, so it is no wonder if Dart delivers a better experience through Flutter.

Framework: Javascript vs Dart

React Native interacts with native modules using the Javascript bridge. The resulting performance is not satisfactory.

Flutter’s Dart framework has almost all of the components built in. It does not require a bridge to communicate with the modules. This naturally improves its performance.

The null reference-a Billion dollar problem

The null reference can cause costly mistakes. Flutter solves this problem by eliminating the null reference in the Dart language system which it uses. This is a significant advantage over React Native.

User base

It’s true that Flutter does not have as large a user base as React Native. But now its users are  rapidly growing in number.

In Github, React Native which started in 2015 has 83000 stars and Flutter has 80400. But  React Native started two years earlier. Flutter started only in 2017. Flutter is certain to capture the lead in the coming months or even weeks.

Documentation and support

Good documentation is critical in making a software popular among users. In this respect Flutter is definitely a step ahead of React Native. Google’s own documentation team is behind it and it also has a dedicated YouTube channel with many training videos for Flutter users.

Most of Flutter’s documentation is updated. They are also offering other channels of systems such as Discord, the gamers’ chat and support system. Discord has a Flutter Channel.

In comparison, React Native is left behind in the quality and completeness of documentation.

Compiled rendering components

All of Flutter’s rendering native components are already compiled; React Native needs another library to translate its Javascript code. This creates delay and other problems.

Speed of development

React Native releases a new bug-fixed version only once in a four week period. If your product development team needs a faster release, it simply is not possible.

Ease of Installation

Both React Native and Flutter lack in simplified installation methods. React Native has a slight advantage in that it uses the Homebrew package amanager for installation, while Flutter has a more lengthy procedure.

Setup and configuration

The process of setting up and configuration needs thorough documentation so that users can start working on the projects imediately. React Native does not offer sufficient explanation and instructions for setting up the tools for iOS and Android projects.

React Native is not easy to set up and start production, this is especially so if you already have a codebase. A significant investment of time and effort is needed to integrate it into your existing code.  And you cannot do away with writing native code completely either.

Flutter provides complete instructions on setting up the IDE and platform for mobile apps development (iOS and Android). Flutter also has a facility for offering guidance during the setting up process. It is called Flutter doctor. It identifies the tools that need configuration based on the local machine.

Feature	React Native	Flutter
Programming language	Javascript	Dart
Learning Curve	Steep	Easier
Creator	Facebook	Google
Main Architecture	Flux, Redux	BLoC
Ecosystem	Mature, many companies use it, many packages available	Not yet mature, fewer number of packages
Hot Reload	Supported	Supported
GitHub Stars	83200 (in 4 years)	80460 (in 2 years)
First release	Jan 2015	May 2017

The Conclusion

Flutter has the backing of Google which has had a successful history of launching products that went on to become trail blazers: Google search, Gmail, Maps, Android platform, Youtube, blogger, docs,. ..Google seems to have the proverbial Midas touch. Add to that their never ending quest for improvisation and innovation. And you have a winner.

The main argument raised against Flutter is that it is new and has a smaller community and support base. Flutter may be new, but Google is not. Google is investing significant efforts into developing Flutter’s support base.

React Native is ideal for simple applications where the APIs already have a bridge between the two platforms. However, as your applications develop, this becomes more and more difficult, as happened in the case of Airbnb.

The writing on the wall is clear: The verdict is in favor of Flutter. That companies like Airbnb are switching to Flutter from React Native, demonstrates this.

How to change the Chrome display language from Spanish to English

If you downloaded Chrome recently, you would have faced this situation of  all Chrome displays being in Spanish.

This article explains how to get your display back in English. These are step by step instructions. You just have to follow the instructions where they ask you to click a particular tab. It might be in Spanish, but you can recognise the word from its spelling and its highlighted position in the picture.

These are the steps for changing the display language:

1. Open Chrome.
2. Click the button on the top right corner.

                                     

The menu expands as in the picture below. 

3.Click Configuracion.

        The following screen opens.

4.Scroll down to the bottom and click Configuracion avanzada.

5. Scroll down again till you reach Idiomas.

Idiomas shows the display language. Here it is Espanol. 

6. To add your language, click Anadir idiomas.

The following dialog box opens.

7. Scroll down to your language (see figure below).

8. Select your language and Click Anadir..

9.The display language will be on top. Here it is Espanol. Click the button next to it (highlighted).

10. The following dialog box opens up. Click Bajar.

11. Your language shifts to the top position. Click the button next to it (highlighted).

13.The following dialog box opens (see picture below):

      Select the first check box.

This will display Chrome in your language.
Note: If you want Chrome to offer translations for every foreign language page, select the second check box as well.

14. Click Reiniciar to restart Chrome.

Chrome restarts by itself. It will now display in your preferred language.

Could Cortana Be The Undoing of Windows?

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• First Published on Linkedin Pulse on February 11, 2017                                                                                             

It's 10 am and I'm busy at my desk, trying to finish up urgent work. Inadvertently, my finger slides in a particular way on the touch pad, and bling! the Cortana help pops up, with a barrage of questions: Would you like to know the weather outside? Would you like me to tell a joke?

 I could not find any connection between the weather outside and my work, and a joke was the last thing I needed now.

To her credit, she's trying to assume the persona of a friendly, charming, office assistant who presumes your needs (help me!) and proffers assistance.

Purely altruistic. Except that she is preventing me from doing what I opened the laptop for.

In the beginning, I thought it was funny, when she asked me to call her into action (voice activation) or ask to tell a joke.

But there's a time for everything. Or does Microsoft think there isn't? That any time is good enough to market goodies? For that's what Cortana often leads us to, the app store.

I tried my level best to first, temporarily disable her. Temporarily because new stuff always fascinates me.

However, that didn't work. Cortana kept butting in, regardless of what I was doing.

Finally, out of exasperation, I started searching how to disable Cortana permanently.

That's when I realised my hapless plight, and that of millions of other Windows 10 users: Microsoft has decided that Cortana shall be your virtual assistantforever! She's here to stay.

Is there a way to escape Cortana?

For tech savvy users, there are methods to keep her from being too obtrusive. See here. It involves tampering with the registry, and that isn't my cup of tea. It's pretty risky, unless you know how to fix registry errors.

The only way out: Wait for Microsoft to remove her or add a command to shut her up. Or there's a more drastic solution:

Learn Linux/Ubuntu. I find this option enticing, because (1)it's free (2)Ubuntu is reputed to be more user friendly and easier to learn (3) both are robust against virus/trojan attacks.

Even as I type this, Cortana sprang out. Did she understand what I am typing?

What has been your experience with Cortana?

Remove Go.oclasrv.com Browser Hijacker

The go.oclasrv.com browser hijacker infects systems through installer packages  of freeware. Some cases of infection have also been reported from using certain chrome apps for smart browsing. It redirects your browsers to unwanted sites, displays irrelevant popup ads, and generally slows down your system. Users generally grow uneasy at this uncontrolled activity especially while accessing websites with sensitive information.

Removal procedure for Windows

1) Download CCleaner free from www.piriform.com/ccleaner.

2) Download the setup file of a browser such as Chrome, Mozilla, or one of your choice.

3) Uninstall all browsers.

4) Go to START > PROGRAMS> WINDOWS accessories (This path will be slightly different for different Windows versions)

5) Disable Microsoft Internet Explorer.

6) Run CCleaner. Analyze and clean with all options available in the menu.

CAUTION: Before cleaning, create a backup of your registry. Also create a system restore point. CCleaner will prompt you for this.

7) Restart your Computer.

8) Go to START > PROGRAMS> WINDOWS accessories and enable Microsoft Internet Explorer.

9) Re-install your browsers.

Prevention

Download and install freeware only from the developer's site. Use third party installer packages with extreme caution. During the installation, deselect any add-ons that the package offers, selected by default.

Overview of Summit on CIO Strategies

Silicon India hosted the CIO (Chief Information Officer) strategies summit in New Delhi at the Hotel Surya, on 11 August 2011. The program had a wide representation of attendees from CIOs and IT heads from about 50 companies all over the National Capital Region (Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon). The discussion focused on effective strategies for CIOs in the 21^st century.

What CEOs and the Board Expect from CIOs and IT
Vijay Sethi, VP – IS and CIO, Hero Honda, who started the first panel discussion on this topic said, “the first priority of CIOs all over the world would be aligning IT to the business needs of the company. If investment in new technology aligns with business needs, ROI increases, otherwise it can fall drastically.”

Others concurred on the point that many CIOs need to consult their CFOs on important decisions, which hampers the adoption of new technology.

“The business heads need to consider what the IT department is trying to tell them and then take decisions. Business participates in suggesting value additions and process improvisations” said Mukesh Kumar, CIO, Vishal MegaMart, an e-commerce service.

“Process Optimization helps align IT to business. This helps save expenses on labor, time, and hardware. This usually happens after a scramble to meet a delivery or a crisis”, remarked RD Malav, VP-IT, Jindal Group.

A calculation of returns on a longer period shows a substantial ROI. Malav recounted his experience in buying new servers for his company. ROI calculated over one year showed a loss, while ROI over three years, showed the new servers to be much more economical than the existing ones. Simplicity and cost effectiveness are two KRAs (Key Result Areas) with which to evaluate new technology.

Regarding the legal side of cloud services, the panel agreed that it was ‘cloudy’: there was no legal framework now. Because of this, cloud service providers hesitate to accept customers from companies facing closure.

Business drivers, Strategy and Solution for next-generation Enterprise IT
Sethu Madhavan S, Director of Marketing and Strategy, Huawei, spoke on this subject. Broadband is a grossly underexploited area in India with only 1% penetration in 1.2 billion people. This presents vast opportunities for telecom service providers, enhanced further by cloud services through a deluge of applications, social networking, high-speed videos, and gaming. Providers can exploit these vistas that are just catching up here. These fields require good uploading speeds.

Huawei has several offerings for providers to take advantage of the situation. It offers Internet Data Centers (IDCs) for providing Cloud computing services to providers on a revenue sharing basis. Against traditional data centers, IDCs have zero investment costs, lower utilization costs, and 24x7 operational capability.

Reducing IT costs, promoting Green IT, increasing security, and investing in efficient platforms and technologies are the strategic goals of today’s IT.

The Competitive CIO: Driving Business Forward
Gone are the days when CIOs confined themselves to supervising just their departments. The mercurial developments in technology and market demands necessitate a more dynamic role for them.

“CIOs now need to wear the thinking hats of the business department and the customers. They need to propose solutions and improvisation methods”, said Manoj Shrivastava, Director - Integrated Technology, MTS India.

According to Ashok Cherian, CIO, JK Cements,”CIOs are not in the back end anymore. They are in the forefront, actively taking business forward. The new mantras for CIOs are: Business focused, technology driven”.

The audience received this with cheers.

Emerging Technologies and Trends: The Game Changer?
Sridhar Pai, CEO, Tonse Telecom moderated the third panel discussion on the pros and cons of emerging technologies.

“Emerging Technologies enable executives to make use of every minute. With the time available on commute, they can listen to a lecture available on an e-University portal" said JS Sodhi, Head - IT & CIO, Amity Group.

“90% of attacks on networks happen on computers that have not updated security software, in spite of patches being available. Automatic patch updating on networks as adopted by Amity can prevent this”.

Sodhi also foresaw a fast emerging field of IT and Telecom convergence.

“Emerging technologies are vital to survive in today’s fast-paced market. For example, companies cannot afford to ignore the Social media where Customers record their experiences on the fly. This feedback can help improve company services”, said Ashok Cherian, CIO, JK Cements.

Companies suffer huge losses through employees spending time on irrelevant sites. Authentication of each user, monitoring of user activities, and other remedial measures help manage potential problems like security and wastage of employee time on irrelevant sites.

Summit Summary: 
IT heads need to take initiative to analyze market trends and suggest suitable methods and technology to other departments. Cloud Computing Services and other emerging technologies can accelerate business growth; however, the concerns of security, productivity, and where relevant, legality have to be addressed. A new breed of technology of converging IT and Telecom sectors is fast emerging.

Huawei and Regus jointly sponsored the event.