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Comment by jrochkind1 | Hacker News Reader

i am frustrated by the number of restaurant websites that simply _don't work_ on iOS at all. Like you can't even look at a menu or figure out the hours.

Of all the websites I look at, restaurant ones are the most likely to fail horribly on mobile.

I guess it's because restaurant owners/managers 'buy' a website from a small contractor, and what they look for and are willing to pay for is something that looks 'pretty' -- lots of flash, lots of big graphics, etc.

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You mean they don't work because they use Flash? As much as I hate saying it but if you did not choose a mobile OS that limits your choice of software, you could simply install flash. You cannot really blame the restaurants for using technology that was hailed for its interactivity by some people and webdesigners for so long.

"Simply install Flash" is not possible on newer Android versions. "Install Flash with some methods that are complicated for end-users, if you have the right phone and there's a package available for you" is more reality.

The fact is, Flash isn't supported on mobile devices. It's merely possible on Android. Sure, you can't blame the restaurants (you don't need to blame anyone), but "simply install Flash" isn't true.

>As much as I hate saying it

It sounds as if you love saying it.

Anyway, I agree with gp: so many restaurant websites seem to focus on being cool more than on providing the information I need: address and menu. And yes, Flash is a big part of this but even if that worked on iOS, these websites would still be annoying.

That's exactly our goal with Happytables, focusing on: accessibility, information and engagement. All the additional fluff can really bog down those sites.

Even if you have flash for your mobile, the sites are usually designed for the desktop. Meaning wide screens and hover effects. Some even use hover to scroll. Now how do you hover with a touchscreen?

I'm not the only one that chose that mobile OS, millions of others did, too. But, hey, if a restaurant wants to try and dictate my choice of technology, no hard feelings. There are plenty of other places to eat.

And "simply install flash"? It doesn't work on iOS, it hasn't been supported on Android in over a year, and has stability issues on Jelly Bean. I could almost be convinced that you're being facetious...almost.

Sometimes it's flash, sometimes it's something else. I don't always spend time debugging/diagnosing exactly what it is, I'm not at work!

I doubt that restaurant owners are thinking "So my customers can't see my website? I don't care, it's because they picked an Apple device and everyone knows Apple devices are shitty!"

Um, what?

And do you really hate saying it?

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