Brian Cardarella, CEO of DockYard and expert in developing native and web applications, dives into the magic of LiveView Native. He reveals how it streamlines development with Phoenix, allowing teams to tackle both web and native apps from a single codebase. The conversation highlights the new version 0.3's features, collaboration efforts in the Elixir community, and even personal stories about sailing as a creative escape from tech pressures. Brian also emphasizes the importance of fostering junior developers amid rapid industry changes.
LiveView Native allows developers to effortlessly build native and web applications using a unified codebase with Phoenix.
The importance of mentoring new talent is emphasized, highlighting the need for structured educational paths within the Elixir community.
Performance challenges faced during Live View Native's development underscore the necessity for thorough testing and high standards in user experience.
Cardarella envisions transformative possibilities for Live View Native, linking its future to advancements in technology like AI and generative code.
Deep dives
Introduction to Live View Native
The episode features a discussion about Live View Native, a framework enabling developers to build both native and web applications using the Phoenix framework. Brian Cardarella, CEO of Dockyard, details his journey from starting Dockyard with a focus on Rails and Ember.js to adopting Elixir and Phoenix, showcasing the agency's pivotal role in the Elixir community. He emphasizes the importance of evolving the consultancy as technologies change, which included transitioning client projects to use Elixir and Phoenix. Cardarella's commitment to nurturing the Elixir ecosystem is highlighted, exemplified by his collaboration with Chris McCord, the creator of the Phoenix framework.
Evolution of Live View Native Development
The development of Live View Native began in 2021, sparked by the need for a robust solution for building applications without diving deep into Swift or Xcode. Cardarella recounts the initial experiments with creating apps for platforms like Apple TV using TVML and how this inspired him to explore Live View as a viable method for building native apps. The real focus became creating a system that could bring the reactivity of Live View to mobile applications, allowing developers to leverage their Elixir skills in building native experiences. This transformation reflects a significant movement toward improving user experience while maintaining the developer-friendly nature that Elixir is known for.
Sharpening Focus on Performance and Usability
Throughout the episode, performance challenges faced during the Live View Native development are acknowledged, specifically issues with rendering and state management. Projects like Dockyard's failed attempt with Wasm compilation demonstrate the unpredictability of building robust solutions in rapidly evolving technologies. Cardarella explains the importance of thorough testing, which included a failed performance test during a presentation, prompting the team to reassess their implementation. He highlights their dedication to ensuring that the end product aligns with high standards of performance and user experience, an essential component for successfully launching Live View Native.
Community Contributions and Open Source Projects
Cardarella underscores Dockyard's unwavering support for the Elixir community through sponsorships and contribution to key projects such as the NX project. He passionately discusses the importance of mentorship and innovation within the Elixir space, exemplified by the launch of the Dockyard Academy, which aims to create new Elixir developers. Even amid market downturns and challenges in hiring new developers, Cardarella maintains a positive outlook on the future of Elixir and its community. He expresses gratitude towards the Elixir community for their patience and support during the development of Live View Native, further emphasizing the collaborative nature of the ecosystem.
Exploring Live View Native Features
The discussion delves into the functionalities of Live View Native, emphasizing how it adapts the principles of Live View to native application development. Cardarella details features such as seamless state management and live updates which allow for smoother app experiences on mobile devices. He also explains the system's ability to differentiate between render requests for various platforms, optimizing performance while maintaining the intended functionality of the app. These features aim to create a cohesive development experience akin to working with widely-used frameworks like React Native, while still harnessing the power and efficiency of Elixir.
Addressing the Need for Junior Developers
The podcast touches on the prevalent issue in the tech industry regarding the demand for senior developers while neglecting junior talent. Cardarella shares concerns over the long-term implications of this trend, predicting that it could lead to significant skill gaps as senior developers retire. He points towards the importance of nurturing new talent through structured educational paths, akin to the goals of Dockyard Academy. The discussion highlights the need for reevaluating hiring practices and the potential benefits of including less experienced developers in the Elixir community.
Anticipating Future Developments in Elixir
Toward the end of the episode, Cardarella reflects on the transformative possibilities that Live View Native could bring to the Elixir ecosystem and the wider programming landscape. He expresses enthusiasm about the ongoing development of features that will enhance both user experience and developer productivity. Additionally, he insightfully connects the future of Elixir projects to technological advancements, including AI and generative code. The conversation concludes with an optimistic outlook, emphasizing that challenges should be met with innovation and collaboration to elevate Elixirโs potential in the tech landscape.
In this episode of the Elixir Mentor Podcast, the go-to source for All Things Elixir, Brian Cardarella, CEO of DockYard, joins to discuss LiveView Native. This conversation explores how LiveView Native enables developers to build native and web applications seamlessly with Phoenix, allowing teams to do more with less.
Brian shares insights on how a single team can now manage front-end development for both web and native applications using a single codebase, leveraging Phoenix's server-side rendering. This episode offers valuable perspectives for Elixir developers on the future of cross-platform development, discussing how to build complex, client-side applications that are faster and lighter than those built with heavy JavaScript frameworks.
Listeners will learn about delivering better user experiences across all platforms and optimizing productivity with a unified approach.
