Oct 24 2016
Review of my first AngularZone meetup
It was my first time at the new SkillsMatter premises and wow that place is amazing. It’s over 2 levels, level 1 has a large meeting room ideal for large meet-up groups and mini single track conferences. While on the lower level there is a slightly small room ideal for smaller second track sessions or large training sessions. There is also a few smaller training rooms. In the middle of all these lower rooms is a bar, table tennis and seats ideal for the social side of meet-ups.
The AngularZone meet-up had 3 talks, one by the main organiser on AngularZone all about the new features in Angular 2.1 (yep we’re on version 2.1 already, (Angular releases are like buses you wait ages for one to come then 2 come along at the same, we’ll nearly the same time). The new parts of Angular are simplified animations and better preloading of modules.
Lazy loading modules preLoader looks a great feature. I personally can’t wait to use it and see how it will improve sites.
The second talk was from Ari Lerner, who wrote the original ngBook and co-authored the new ngBook 2. His talk was really interesting, all about how he is using features of Angular 2 for intelligent A/B testing. If his talk is available to see after ngEurope it is well worth looking out for.
The final talk of the night was a quick tour through GraphQL. I have to admit I’ve never see it before this and I was really impressed. GraphQL will make a great backend for an Angular app.
I’m looking forward to the next AngularZone.
Stephen Adams 0 Comments
Oct 16 2016
Does it matter what an app is built in?
Well not really?
There has been a big argument on Twitter about NativeScript vs Ionic or NativeScript vs Hybrid and how you can upgrade to NativeScript from hybrid.
Of course the hybrid people weren’t to keen on that idea.
But really in the end it’s all about the app and what it can do and how it performs. I choose to create Ionic apps because I like how Ionic works, and how you go about developing Ionic apps.  I think the team at Ionic have done a fantastic job creating a framework and SDK that allows me to create cross platform apps.
It only matters how apps are being built if you have something to sell about how apps should be built, whether it’s a book or a course. Me, I like to build apps that perform well, look good and do exactly what the clients what the app to do.
Stephen Adams 0 Comments
Oct 8 2016
The Rockd app really does rock

I recently read a great post on the Ionic’s Medium blog highlighting a new Ionic app called Rockd. I’m not a geologist, but this app looks really good.

What I like most about it is that is shows that mobile apps can be more than just games or productivity apps (which I do like). Mobile apps can be used to support a hobby or learn about a new skill. As we move into a more remote work place, mobile apps can help organisations and their employees work better.

I think that Rockd allows users to discover more about geology, it’s good to see an app developed for something else.

Stephen Adams 0 Comments