Why are the devs developing a Flutter app instead of just improving the PWA?

> To me that sounds like a good question.

It is a very good question, but it makes a wrong assumption. Lichess is developing a flutter app geared towards touch & gestures that will shine for casual use. But it's not INSTEAD of anything, Lichess is also committed to continue improving the web UI for mobile devices - that includes progressive web app features down the road like offline analysis, puzzles, etc.

It will be some time before those arrive. You'll most likely get offline puzzles in the flutter app first.

No one suggested INSTEAD until you brought it up. giords' dichotomy was an approach including Flutter vs. an approach excluding it.

But the argument of mouse vs. touch & gesture is compelling to me.

@mcgoves said in #8:
> Alas for me, not puzzles. :(

True, in puzzles the screen is not kept always on

@giords said in #7:
> make mobile websites usable as apps

One of the biggest problems I have with the mobile website is that, for instance, moving a white rook from the A file to the E file appears to Android as the "back" gesture, and exits the game. I have to remember to tap two squares in that instance. This also exists in the installed version. Would PWA or Flutter app be able to suppress the gesture recognition?

@mcgoves said in #14:
> Would PWA or Flutter app be able to suppress the gesture recognition?

Flutter for sure, PWA and website are pretty much working the same way so I doubt it.

@mcgoves said in #12:
> No one suggested INSTEAD until you brought it up. giords' dichotomy was an approach including Flutter vs. an approach excluding it.

See topic question.

@schlawg said in #16:
> See topic question.

Of course you are right. I tried to refine my long-winded thought into a pithy response, and failed. I'll try again.

The original post makes no assertion that the new approach consist only of the Flutter app. It leaves open the possibility of both Flutter and web UI at the same time. Indeed, I'd be a little surprised if, once the Flutter app is available and mature, the devs take the time and risk to strip PWA features out of the current website. So the INSTEAD used by giords is different from the INSTEAD assumed by schlawg.

This must be what my father meant when he always told me I assumed "INSTEAD of" wrong.