
How to ask a developer about a web based app? - DrBobDengler
Question: What do I say to a developer to explain that I want someone to rewrite my PC Desktop application code (.Net&#x2F;C++) into a web-based, platform independent version that won&#x27;t cost $100K everytime Windows&#x2F;Word&#x2F;SQL unleash a new update? Should I ask if he&#x2F;she can use a particular stack&#x2F;approach and if so, what is a good main-stream stack&#x2F;approach that makes sense. Honestly, I don&#x27;t care what stack&#x2F;approach, just one that can work, won&#x27;t get me up a creek without a paddle next year, and one that other developers won&#x27;t laugh at. Obviously, I&#x27;m not a tech founder.
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DrBobDengler
Anybody had any experience with code translator programs that say they can
take a program in one language and translate it into another. This would
greatly reduce the time and cost of rewriting my app from .Net to web-based,
but sounds too good to be true.

Such as ( I have no relation/interest): "Emscripten is an LLVM-based project
that compiles C and C++ into highly-optimizable JavaScript in asm.js format.
This lets you run C and C++ on the web at near-native speed, without plugins.
[http://kripken.github.io/emscripten-
site/index.html](http://kripken.github.io/emscripten-site/index.html)

Emscripten can be used to compile almost any portable C++/C code to
JavaScript. [http://kripken.github.io/emscripten-
site/docs/porting/guidel...](http://kripken.github.io/emscripten-
site/docs/porting/guidelines/portability_guidelines.html#code-portability-
guidelines) "

Any thoughts would be helpful. As I said, these sound too good to be true, but
worth asking the experts about!

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maxharris
Use Kubernetes, Node, GraphQL, Redux, React. Fela
([http://fela.js.org/](http://fela.js.org/)) is nice. (Alternatively, use
styled components if that's no good.)

All of the above technologies also work very nicely with React Native - you
can target iOS, macOS, Android, and Windows with it, without rewriting if you
develop against React Native first and treat the browser as just another
target.

~~~
DrBobDengler
Maxx, thanks for your response. So if I ask a developer how he/she would
rewrite my .Net app into a web app, and he/she says "use Atom" I should run
away fast. But if he/she says " I would use Kubernetes, Node, GraphQL, Redux,
React. Fela, and styled components with React Native" I should feel confident
that I asked the right questions and that his/her answer is a right way to
proceed? I guess I am looking for a developer who suggests a common, middle of
the road, generally acceptable approach rather than a highly complex multi-
tool custom built personal favorite approach that nobody else ever heard of or
can understand how to use. My situation appears to me to be a common business
executive challenge....do you think that I am just too naive to understand how
to vet/contract with a developer? I would appreciate any further thought you
are willing to share. Thanks.

~~~
fsargent
To put it bluntly, yes, you are naive. That's OK though, there are plenty of
successful businesses that are started from that place. You should do what you
would do in any business situation - get multiple quotes and offers, and
compare. Interview multiple candidates, and developers, and rely on your
intuition. Good developers tend to be clear in their requirements, have a good
grasp on technologies, and can consider other technologies for their benefits
or flaws. You don't need to 'run away' from anyone because they suggest one
thing over another - just make sure that you are talking to an engineer who
has had some experience, and doesn't recommend a 'one size fits all' solution.
Then again, expect to pay a lot for a good engineer.

It's ok if your system is a bit crap if it gets the job done, and you make
business. Grow the business, and fix it later.

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davelnewton
If you're not a tech founder then you probably shouldn't ask to use a
particular stack/approach. Let that conversation at least be started by
someone who knows what they're talking about.

What do you say? You say that you want to convert a desktop app into a web
app, and take it from there. The app itself may start to dictate the approach
anyway, which we can't speak to without any details.

~~~
DrBobDengler
Davelnewton, appreciate your response. My experience is that if I ask 2 or
more developers, I get the food fight that Anold and Maxx are having below. So
if I pick a developer out of the internet and he/she recommends "Atom" I know
I need to avoid him/her. On the otherhand, if he/she says "React", I know at
least 2 others have mentioned it. You suggest that I just talk to a developer
and put myself in their hands. That's how I spent $600,000 on 3 Microsoft Gold
developers who recommended .Net framework, and got me a desktop PC version in
Windows 7, one month before Windows 8 debuted and wanted $100K more to either
1)make it compatible with Win8 or 2)rewrite a web version. I applied for YC
S17 in hopes of getting the $100K to get my app rewritten and back on the
market. I also hoped that YC would advise a reasonable programming approach
and an appropriate developer who could make it happen, but I got rejected this
time,and am out in the cold again until maybe next October. So I thought I
would give HN a try - and you were nice enough to respond. Thanks! I would
appreciate any further thoughts you would be willing to share.

~~~
davelnewton
The tech race is unavoidable. Focusing on a web app buys you some more
longevity. I'd say you got ripped off by your devs; it's not like nobody knew
when Win8 was dropping, or how to write it in such a way that it wouldn't be
obsoleted in a month. That's irresponsible on their part.

You'll _always_ be putting your trust in someone if you're not doing it
yourself. There's no way to absolutely guarantee what's being done is an
effective path, but you can always have development plans vetted by a third
party, and it may be worth it.

In the JS world there's always a "flavor of the week". There are several
standouts, e.g., React, AngJS, EmberJS, whatever. The back-end isn't as
relevant if all it's doing is shipping data to the client (browser), but
infrastructure costs and maintenance always matter. It also depends on what
the back-end actually needs to do (batch jobs, timed jobs, etc.) but you have
a lot of flexibility in this regard.

Feel free to reach out if you have additional questions; I'm reasonably easy
to get ahold of.

[http://stackoverflow.com/users/438992/dave-
newton](http://stackoverflow.com/users/438992/dave-newton)

------
anoldgangstah
Use electron [https://electron.atom.io/](https://electron.atom.io/) it uses
javascript.

~~~
maxharris
I'd avoid electron if you're starting from scratch - it's fine if you have a
web app and you're looking for a cheap way to deliver it to desktops, but it
comes at a huge cost to your users. Your app will be 10X larger when users try
to download it. And do you ever wonder why Slack and Atom perform so terribly
and hog so much CPU and RAM compared to native apps? Electron jams in an
entire web browser just to render your app. So you end up writing awful code,
and you get bad performance. The only way to do something worse would be to
attempt to write a desktop app in Java...

Use React Native instead!

