Rocket Ship

In this conversation, Simon Grimm interviews Giovanni Laquidara, a developer advocate at Amazon, about TV app development with React Native. Giovanni shares his experience working with React Native at Amazon and explains how React Native can be used to develop TV apps. He also discusses the challenges and considerations when developing for TV, such as the 10-foot UI, navigation, and remote control interaction. Giovanni recommends using separate repositories for different TV platforms and emphasizes the importance of designing for readability and accessibility in TV apps. Building TV apps with React Native requires handling fragmentation, focus management, and performance considerations. Integration with TV remotes can be challenging due to different key mappings. Testing on various platforms is crucial. TV apps often focus on streaming media, but there are opportunities for educational, fitness, and gaming apps. The developer experience is improving, and AI services may be integrated into TV apps in the future.

Learn React Native - https://galaxies.dev

Giovanni Laquidara

• Giovanni LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/glaquidara/
• Giovanni Twitter: https://x.com/giolaq

Links

• Giovanni App.js talk: https://www.youtube.com/live/s0wn7qpBoB8?t=12161s
• Build Expo apps for TV: https://docs.expo.dev/guides/building-for-tv/
• React Native tvOS Github: https://github.com/react-native-tvos/react-native-tvos
• IgniteTV template: https://github.com/react-native-tvos/IgniteTV

Takeaways

• React Native can be used to develop TV apps for platforms like Android TV, Fire TV, and tvOS.
• Developing for TV requires considering the 10-foot UI, where users are typically three meters away from the screen.
• TV app navigation should be easy and seamless, with a focus on simplicity and avoiding complex interactions.
• Separate repositories are recommended for different TV platforms due to the fragmentation and differences in SDKs.
• Designing for readability and accessibility is crucial in TV app development. Building TV apps with React Native requires handling fragmentation, focus management, and performance considerations.
• Testing on various platforms is crucial for TV app development.
• TV apps often focus on streaming media, but there are opportunities for educational, fitness, and gaming apps.
• The developer experience for TV app development is improving.
• AI services may be integrated into TV apps in the future.
• Deployment to app stores follows similar processes as mobile apps.

In this episode of Rocket Ship, Simon Grimm interviews Jack Herrington, a prominent figure in the React Native and Next.js communities. They discuss the challenges and changes in the React Native ecosystem, and the exciting developments around Module Federation and React Server Components (RSCs). Jack shares his experiences with React Native, the benefits of using Expo, and the performance gains associated with RSCs. The conversation also touches on the skepticism surrounding new technologies and the gradual adoption within the industry. In this conversation, Simon and Jack discuss the evolving landscape of React Server Components (RSCs), the impact of AI on app customization, and the rise of AI-driven development tools. They explore the integration of ShadCN, the future of universal apps, and compare RSCs with other frameworks like Svelte and Solid. The discussion highlights the challenges and innovations in the development community, particularly in relation to state management and the potential for AI to transform user experiences. They also delve into the ongoing debate between React Native and Flutter, highlight new features in React 19, and explore the potential of building custom Chrome extensions.

Learn React Native - https://galaxies.dev

Jack Herrington

• X: https://x.com/jherr
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jherr
• Github: https://github.com/jherr

Links

• Frontend Fire Podcast: https://front-end-fire.com/
• Pro Next.js Course: https://www.pronextjs.dev/
• Zephyr: https://www.zephyr-cloud.io/

Takeaways

• Module Federation allows for remote module updates without app store submissions.
• RSCs can improve performance by reducing client-side rendering time.
• The adoption of RSCs in the industry is slow due to existing codebases and frameworks.
• Jack's journey with React Native has been cyclical, returning to it multiple times.
• Performance gains with RSCs can be significant, especially on slower devices.
• Skepticism exists around new technologies like RSCs, impacting their adoption.
• Incremental adoption paths for frameworks can ease transitions for large companies. RSCs are still in development and face challenges.
• AI can significantly enhance app customization for users.
• Cursor is a popular AI-driven development tool that many developers prefer.
• ShadCN offers exciting possibilities for UI infrastructure.
• The concept of universal apps is becoming more feasible.
• The development landscape is shifting towards AI integration.
• Frameworks like Quick handle hydration differently than React.
• Solid and Svelte have similar functionalities to RSCs.
• AI models require extensive code examples for effective training.
• Zustand is gaining popularity in state management. Zustand has gained popularity as a state management library.
• Atomic state management allows for automatic updates based on dependencies.
• Choosing the right state management tool depends on the application's needs.
• React 19 introduces significant changes, especially with RSCs.
• Building custom Chrome extensions can enhance productivity and provide unique solutions.
• The debate between React Native and Flutter continues with no clear winner.
• Using the simplest state management solution is often the best approach.
• Understanding the context of your application is crucial for state management decisions.

Delphine Bugner, Mobile Tech Lead at BAM, discusses the inner workings of Yoga in React Native. Yoga is responsible for positioning components on the screen based on their dimensions and styling props. Delphine emphasizes the importance of understanding how things work under the hood and why they were designed that way. She shares her uncommon journey into becoming a React Native tech lead and her passion for exploring the technical aspects of technology. She also discusses the architecture of Yoga and how it works under the hood, including the translation of JSX into native views, the creation of shadow nodes and Yoga nodes, and the communication between JavaScript and native code. The conversation concludes with a discussion about the future of Yoga and its alignment with React on the web.

Learn React Native - https://galaxies.dev

Delphine Bugner

• Delphine Twitter: https://twitter.com/DelphineBugner
• Delphine Github: https://github.com/delphinebugner

Links

• Delphine "The Yoga Enigma" talk in Berlin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU3vK3IbprY
• Yoga: https://www.yogalayout.dev/

Takeaways

• Yoga is responsible for positioning components on the screen based on their dimensions and styling props in React Native.
• Understanding how things work under the hood and why they were designed that way is important for developers.
• Yoga was created as a replacement for CSS in React Native and provides a common platform-agnostic layouting solution.
• The architecture of Yoga involves the translation of JSX into native views, the creation of shadow nodes and Yoga nodes, and the communication between JavaScript and native code.
• The new architecture in React Native improves code maintenance and performance.
• View flattening is a concept in Yoga that minimizes unnecessary containers in the view hierarchy.
• Debugging Yoga can be done by using breakpoints in C++ to understand the algorithm and identify the source of bugs. The new architecture in React Native brings more conformity with the web and allows for features like suspense and transitions that were not possible before.
• Working with native modules in React Native is not as difficult as it may seem, and developers can use tools like Bob or Create React Native Library CLI to simplify the process.
• Expo provides a more maintained and active ecosystem compared to the community libraries, making it a good choice for new projects.
• Yoga is continuously evolving to align React Native with the web, and future updates will offer more configuration options for developers.

In this conversation, Simon Grimm interviews Dohyun Kim, known as YourAverageTechBro, about his journey as an app developer and content creator. They discuss the challenges and successes in building apps, the importance of marketing, and the technologies used in app development, including React Native, Supabase, and AI tools. Dohyun shares insights on his most successful app, Montee, and the strategies behind its development and marketing, as well as the lessons learned from previous projects. In this conversation, Dohyun discusses the development of his app, Montee, focusing on the use of Next.js and Supabase for differentiation and backend management. He shares insights on API security, handling costs, and user management strategies. The importance of action bias in development is emphasized, along with ideation and keyword research strategies. The discussion also covers social media marketing tactics and preferences between web and mobile app development.

Learn React Native - https://galaxies.dev

Dohyun Kim

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@YourAverageTechBro
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@youraveragetechbro
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/youraveragetechbro
• X: https://x.com/youravgtechbro

Links

• Montee: https://www.montee.ai
• Perfect Interview: https://www.perfectinterview.ai
• Gemini: https://ai.google.dev/

Takeaways

• Dohyun prefers using technologies that allow for rapid development and shipping.
• He believes in copying successful ideas rather than focusing on originality.
• Montee, his AI meeting recorder app, achieved $1,500 in monthly recurring revenue shortly after launch.
• Dohyun discusses the challenges of app growth and the impact of churn on revenue.
• He highlights the importance of effective marketing strategies for app success.
• Dohyun prefers Supabase over Firebase for its relational database capabilities and better documentation.
• He shares insights on the technology stack used for PerfectInterview.ai, including Next.js and Gemini.
• Dohyun believes that app growth is often a series of step functions rather than exponential growth. Copy first and differentiate second is a key strategy.
• API keys should never be exposed in client-side code.
• User requests should always be traceable to prevent abuse.
• Action bias is crucial for shipping apps.
• Keyword research is not the only way to ideate apps.
• Social media marketing can drive app visibility.
• Instagram is currently more explosive for growth than TikTok.
• Web apps allow for faster updates and cash flow management.
• Developers should focus on building value-adding features.
• It's important to distinguish between fun projects and income-generating apps.

In this episode, Simon and Aaron recap the App.js conference and discuss the key themes and talks. They cover topics such as the state of Expo, the recommended framework for React Native, the importance of iteration speed, the introduction of Expo Orbit and Expo Atlas, the use of React Server Components, real-time 3D applications, Brownfield app integration, and local-first applications. They also highlight the challenges and benefits of using feature flagging and building native libraries. The React Native community is praised for its diversity of skills and the inspiration it provides. The future of React Native includes updates to Expo SDK, the release of React Server components, and the exploration of universal apps and low-code tools.

Learn React Native - https://galaxies.dev

Áron Berezkin

• Aron Twitter: https://twitter.com/AronBerezkin
• Aron Blog: https://www.aronberezkin.com/
• Aron Github: https://github.com/AronBe

Takeaways

• Expo is the recommended framework for React Native and focuses on improving iteration speed.
• Expo introduced Expo Orbit, a tool for managing EAS builds, and Expo Atlas, a bundle analyzer for JavaScript bundles.
• Evan Bacon showcased the use of React Server Components with AI integration, demonstrating the potential of server-driven native UI.
• Mariusz shared his experience with Brownfield app integration, highlighting the challenges and successes of integrating React Native into existing iOS and Android applications.
• Søren Brammer-Schmidt and Brent Vatne discussed local-first applications and the use of Prisma for local data management and synchronization.
• Fernando Rojo built an open-source native library called Galleria for image viewing and zooming, emphasizing the importance of not being afraid to build native libraries. Don't be afraid to build native modules in React Native
• Educate yourself about accessibility and make small changes to improve the experience
• The React Native community is diverse and inspiring
• Updates to Expo SDK and the release of React Server components are expected