In memoriam
It is my sad duty to report the death of NativeScript, a framework for writing native apps in JavaScript. First released in 2014, it led a good life. Offering refuge to web developers in an uncertain new era of native mobile apps, it turned none away. Angular, Vue, React, and even emerging renderers like Svelte, Crank, and Solid - all were welcomed with open arms into its sanctuary. In this beautiful haven, they danced the same dances as native developers, punctuating them with their own cultures and ideas.
But, no more. No more shall iOS and Android be sung in words of JavaScript. The curtain falls, and VS Code is dragged off the stage by the twin gargoyles Xcode and Android Studio, trampling flowers as they go. The stage is dark and yet the play, for some reason, continues.
Its community humble yet brilliant, NativeScript shall be missed. So engrossed in the technology, however, there are those who refuse to believe that it has gone, continuing to operate undeterred.
Originally finding harbour as web developers, it seems that these fanatics now seek to bring the web home for NativeScript. They tinker tirelessly, whether by chipping away at DOM support, web platform APIs, or some other feature. They also pass no judgement, continuing to build bridges to both native and cross-platform communities to pay back the welcome they were once extended.
What possesses them of this folly to continue building for a dead framework, we shall never know. Just as the Buddhist marathon monks cannot be stopped from walking Mount Hiei, all we can do is document their efforts and honour them in this newsletter.
Won't somebody please tell them: NativeScript is Dead?