[gbog]

Agree that wechat and the like are going against the grain of the open nature of internet, but one positive side effect of wechat is that it will force many service and content to develop simple web apps instead of mobile apps, because it is the only way to exist there inside.

Most mobile apps need to die and be replaced by web apps, then wechat will die too, or become a mobile os, which is the same.

[wtbob]

I don't know if that's actually a good thing. In general, I prefer native apps (real apps) to web apps; in particular, I trust an open-source application I compiled myself far more than I do some random website.

Unfortunately, I trust the random website more than I do a closed-source, 'free' mobile app.

So it's a bit of a pickle.

Long-long term, I'd like to see more free software on mobile devices, and more simple HTML web apps.

[inimino]

People are developing Wechat apps exclusively for use inside Wechat, and using Wechat-specific APIs. There's no chance whatsoever of the built-for-Wechat app ecosystem somehow killing Wechat.