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Comment by tallowen | Hacker News Reader

I find it interesting that both native apps (for Windows and Mac) try hard to emulate the look and feel of their respective operating system.

One thing that is great about github.com and other websites is that it feels the same across multiple environments. Furthermore web browsers try to emulate their own style not that of the host operating system. If I use chrome or firefox in mac or windows they feel basically the same.

I wonder if more applications will go in the direction of trying to match the feel of the host operating system over the feel of there application as a whole.

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I've been developing web apps for Windows 8 lately using the native -ms- proprietary CSS styles and UI hooks available in IE 10 on touch devices. (CSS grids and scroll snap points!) Let me just say, web apps that follow the Windows 8 UX guidelines are easier to develop and, overall, just feel better to use. That is, they feel like they belong inside Windows 8.

From that perspective, I think they're doing the right thing.

I would hope so. Being a good OS citizen is nothing but a good thing. Fewer surprises, fewer quirks, more intuitive to the user (if done right), etc.

It's nice to know GitHub made the effort.

Precisely. Making the effort is half the game. It's a similar scenario with mobile apps: far too many Android apps are ported across from iOS without consideration for the different platform (usually by using a tab bar). And it really shows.

> Being a good OS citizen is nothing but a good thing.

Actually there are pros and cons to adapting an application to the platform instead of adapting the platform to the application. You're also conflating the OS with the window manager.

One of the biggest reasons that I prefer Mac to Windows is that most Mac developers spend a lot more time working on a native look and feel. The common OS shortcuts and UI metaphors go a long way towards making an app easier to use.

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