December 2018 Summaries

In 2018, Ionic experienced a transformative year marked by significant developments in both its open-source projects and commercial ventures. The company launched major new OSS projects, including the Ionic Framework 4, and introduced the Ionic Enterprise Engine to support enterprise-level app development with enhanced security and functionality. Ionic also rebranded its Ionic Pro to Ionic Appflow, emphasizing its commitment to Mobile DevOps, and announced Capacitor as a new native layer alternative to Cordova. The community flourished, creating over three million apps and significantly expanding the company's user base. Notable partnerships with major enterprises like AAA and GE highlighted Ionic's commercial success, while the company also embraced Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) as a key strategic focus, reflecting a broader industry trend towards web-native capabilities. The year ended with a strong emphasis on community engagement and a renewed commitment to making Ionic a leading platform for cross-platform app development.

Following the release of the Ionic Framework v4 release candidate, a new developer guide titled "Your First Ionic v4 App" has been introduced to help developers get started with Ionic Framework development. This guide provides step-by-step instructions to transform the Tabs Angular starter app into an interactive photo gallery, emphasizing ease and interactivity. Developers can use the Ionic DevApp to view real-time changes on iOS or Android devices and employ the Cordova Camera plugin for taking pictures and the Ionic Storage plugin for saving them, all through a cross-platform API without writing platform-specific code. This guide aims to provide a straightforward and engaging way for developers to familiarize themselves with the new features in Ionic v4.

The release candidate of Ionic 4.0, codenamed "Neutronium," has been launched, offering substantial performance improvements and bug fixes while stabilizing the API in preparation for the final release expected in early 2019. This major update introduces enhancements like smaller file sizes and faster startup times, aiming to optimize app performance across platforms such as iOS, Android, Electron, and PWAs. A significant shift in this version is the decoupling of Ionic from any specific framework, allowing it to integrate seamlessly with Angular, React, and Vue by utilizing standard Web APIs like Custom Elements. This approach also addresses previous challenges of version dependencies with Angular, enabling independent iterations and improvements. Ionic 4 supports official Angular tooling, making it easier to integrate with Angular apps, and plans to extend similar support for React and Vue. The Ionic team encourages community feedback on the release candidate to ensure a stable final release while committing to ongoing improvements and predictable updates post-launch.

On December 10, 2018, an issue arose when many Android, Google, and Firebase libraries were removed from JCenter, leading to widespread build failures for projects dependent on these libraries. Ionic users, particularly those using the Appflow service, were shielded from significant disruptions due to quick action by the Ionic team, which implemented a workaround and automatically patched builds through Ionic Package, a cloud build service within Appflow. This incident highlighted Ionic's commitment to providing stability and uninterrupted service, prompting the company to experiment with more proactive patching for dependency and npm outages. Additionally, they introduced the Ionic Enterprise Engine (IEE) for enterprise teams, offering a stable and supported version of the Ionic ecosystem to quickly address bugs and push updates that benefit the broader community. During the outage, Ionic also released a knowledge base article to guide developers through the issue, reflecting their dedication to maintaining stability and clear communication within the ecosystem.

Microsoft's decision to rebuild its Edge browser using the open-source Chromium engine marks a significant shift in the web browser landscape, as it promises cross-platform compatibility and improved support for modern web features. This move addresses longstanding developer frustrations with Edge's limited feature set and Windows-only availability, allowing for a more consistent development environment and eliminating the need for polyfills. While some critics fear that aligning with Chromium might reduce diversity in the browser market, proponents argue that it enhances the open-source project with contributions from major industry players like Microsoft. This change is seen positively by Ionic, as it ensures better performance and user experience for their apps on Edge, although the browser will maintain distinct features to differentiate itself from Chrome. The decision reflects a more collaborative approach from Microsoft, reminiscent of the ongoing evolution in web development since the dominance of Internet Explorer.

Ionic, led by CEO Max Lynch, emphasizes its unique focus on standard web technology, distinguishing it from other cross-platform mobile toolkits by enabling seamless operation across mobile, desktop, and Progressive Web Apps (PWAs). Unlike platforms requiring partial code sharing, Ionic allows full code reuse by targeting the web runtime, offering a stable and enduring solution based on established web standards. This approach simplifies the investment decision for developers, as they can utilize existing web development skills and integrate with prevailing web libraries, frameworks, and widgets, thereby avoiding isolation from the broader web ecosystem. The company's recent transition of the Ionic Framework to Web Components highlights its commitment to web technologies, enhancing distribution through PWAs and ensuring compatibility with the expansive web platform.

Ionic Enterprise Edition has been introduced as a robust solution for enterprise app development, offering stability and security for full-stack applications built with the Ionic framework. This edition ensures compatibility with native features, plugins, and backend integrations, providing enterprise app developers with the confidence that their applications will perform reliably across various platforms. It includes support for native plugins, backend services, and third-party integrations with providers like AWS and Azure, tailored to meet the needs of professional development teams. Ionic Enterprise Edition also offers long-term support for previous framework versions and access to expert advisory services, enabling developers to overcome challenges and optimize their applications. Custom pricing plans are available to accommodate businesses of all sizes, ensuring that developers have the resources and assurances needed for successful app development.