App development: processwire/php or meteor/javascript? Which is the easyest?

[franciccio-ITALIANO]

Hello to all. I would like to create an app. So I need to learn at least one programming language. I got informed online, and discovered that javascript with node.js, is the revolution of recent years, because it's faster than php. I wonder: if I develop an app with javascript and with a javascript framework (e.g. Meteor), is there a way to integrate processwire work? I know that processwire supports the transformation of the site into an application, but would it be as simple as Meteor? With the Meteor framework I have my app online in 10 minutes, and without even knowing javascript! (Knowing javascript would serve to personalize it). I should then install the app in a SUB-DOMAIN. If I study php, instead, and if I use a php framework (e.g. Laravel), how long does it take to have my first working app? Is it easy to process Laravel's components? Is writing forms for processwire apps with php a very complex job? Is it better to use Meteor and start with javascript? What would you recommend?

[rick]

It's not that you need to learn at least one programming language, rather that you start with the concepts (ie, Object Oriented Programming, server configurations, etc.). Once you have a good grasp on the concept, the programming language you choose will feel effortless. You will be in a better position to decide which language best suits your project. Just my $.02

[LostKobrakai]

The biggest thing to keep in mind is that mobile OSes don't just run any programming language. iOS runs swift, android runs java(/kotlin). Then there are a few projects bringing external languages/tooling onto those platforms like react native (js), flutter (dart), …. This is quite a different world to web development.

Then for web technology you can also look at progressive web apps, which are less powerful than native apps, but can serve similar purposes and can be developed quite a bit easier.

ProcessWire or Laravel are just one (likely the simplest) piece of the puzzle by being one of many ways to have a server side backend – you won't get the app itself from them. Meteor is a bigger piece of the puzzle as it's client and backend at the same time, but truthfully I wouldn't suggest meteor nowadays. Its ideas were ahead of the time and it never really took off. Today it lives on mostly on the sidelines.

At the moment I feel flutter or react native based apps are the best way to build an app, if it's meant to be for production use. For the backend choose your favorite flavor of server side tooling. Likely something graphql, which makes it easy to interact with from the apps perspective.

All this however is nothing you learn in a few days and be able to produce an app. I feel not even webdev can be learned that fast anymore.