At JourneyApps we’ve spent over a decade learning about the intricacies of cross-platform custom app development. We’ve helped customers release countless custom apps and in the process we’ve learned there is one crucial ingredient to every project: the developer.
Our focus on developer experience is a core reason behind our recently announced partnership with AppIt Ventures: their developers can combine their experience with a platform that supercharges productivity and gets clients enterprise-grade custom apps in rapid timelines.
The culmination of years of R&D is OXIDE, our brand new development environment being released this summer.
OXIDE’s Beta Program gave some JourneyApps customers pre-release access. Here are three reasons developers gave for why it’s the best app development tool they’ve ever used.
1. One Codebase For All Devices
Cross-platform iOS, Android, Windows, MacOS + Web apps – out of the box
Because all apps built on JourneyApps automatically work as cross-device native apps, developers don’t have to learn their way around each operating system. Projects, therefore, open up to anyone with JavaScript skills – by far the most popular language among developers.
Cross-device feature parity, including offline data sync
Apps function the same across devices. Pre-built default functionality includes the fact that all apps automatically work seamlessly offline. Other automatically configured app-level functionalities include push notifications, diagnostic reporting, debugging, SSO support and more.
2. Full Control From a Single Web-based IDE
Control all aspects of an app from one place
A command-driven IDE combined with a vertically integrated full-stack means that developers might change an app’s UI layout in one moment and add a field to a database object the next – all without navigating to a different system or even a different browser tab.
Web-based with automated development tasks
Developers can access their specific OXIDE organizations from any computer with an internet connection – no installation required. Infrastructure is automatically spun up and scaled as needed, app updates are auto-deployed or deployed on command, and database APIs are automatically created.
Reduce project dependencies
Giving developers control over the full stack of their custom app means the need for separate backend teams is eliminated. Fewer dependencies and handoffs result in faster project delivery.
3. Eliminating Context Switching Costs And Enabling Remote Collaboration
An IDE that doesn’t block developer flow
Everyone should know: don’t interrupt developers. With OXIDE, a deeply integrated command pallet allows just about any action to be taken from anywhere in the IDE. Intelligent autocomplete and validations ensure code is written correctly the first time. When developers do need to take a break, their work and context will be persisted and waiting for them the next time they log in.
Live Co-Editing
Best described as Google Docs meets VS Code, live co-editing is a game-changer for remote development teams. Live co-editing assists support teams, onboarding new team members, pair programming practices and provides a new way to do code reviews, a task that an overwhelming majority of developers see as valuable. It’s the feature all development teams deserve.
We picked three functionalities mentioned most often in our interviews with OXIDE Beta Program developers (OK, we combined two functionalities in point 3…), but there are many more to add to the list including:
- Realtime build-test feedback loop
- Universal data model
- CloudCode serverless integrations
- Workspace customization
- Branching and integration with source code version control systems
To see OXIDE in action, register for our upcoming webinar where JourneyApps CEO, Conrad Hofmeyr will be demonstrating some of these features in conversation with AppIt’s CEO, Amanda Moriuchi.
