[amasad]

Hey, ceo/cofounder of Repl.it here. Was pleasantly surprised to see this on HN! React Native and Expo has taken the world of mobile development by storm and we're happy to play a part in spreading this amazing technology.

Many of you might know us from being one of first in-browser REPLs (for 30+ programming languages https://repl.it/languages). Our mission is to make programming more accessible and that's why, more recently, we've been also working on tools for educators wanting to teach programming. Our Classroom product (https://repl.it/classrooms) makes it easy for anyone to teach programming online and in physical classrooms.

Happy to answer any questions.

[pryelluw]

1. Im a happy repl.it user.

2. Do you think that native gui widgets could be emulated on the browser in order to do native development on your platform?

3. Will you offer a pipeline from repl.it to app stores? One click publish sort of thing.

[amasad]

I'm happy that you're happy.

> 2. Do you think that native gui widgets could be emulated on the browser in order to do native development on your platform?

A lot of users request support for things like Python Tkinter for example, and while it's possible (e.g. stream via VNC) we always try to balance our users' requests and where we believe programming is headed. For example, there has been a massive shift from native GUI to web-based tech (even on the desktop via Electron).

> 3. Will you offer a pipeline from repl.it to app stores? One click publish sort of thing.

Yes, we're considering that and not just for React Native for other platforms as well. Imagine building a web service on Repl.it and hosting it with one click!

[bigblind]

I think regarding native interface elements, the original commenter is asking regarding React Native components that are native to IOS or Android.

[amasad]

That's already supported via Expo :)

[dopeboy]

Big fan of repl.it. I've been teaching kids how to code for a couple years - count me as fan. Good luck Amjad & Haya!

[nicename]

I really like the idea of using Repl.it for teaching React Native using your classrooms product. There are 2 things that I think might make it more useful. Integration with https://appetize.io/ and allowing multiple files.

Appetize.io would allow people to use, play, and share this without having install Expo on their device (even though that's already a very low bar). Also, I think after learning some basic React Native concepts, it'd be useful to create multiple React Components in multiple files.

[amasad]

Multiple files is coming soon!

As for Appetize, will check it out. For now I have to reiterate that Expo is magical in that after you download the mobile app it's seconds and you're up and running and then running the code on the phone is sub-second.

I've said it before but Expo is the first bootstrapped mobile development environment and I think we're just scratching the surface with what can be done with this tech.

That being said I'll check out Appetize and if it's not too expensive will look into integrating it.

[nicename]

Nice. I think multiple files is more helpful. Expo on a device is pretty easy to get going. I mainly recommended appetize because I think it's a useful feature used in Snack when you click "preview"

[2T1Qka0rEiPr]

Hey, I'v used Repl.it a fair amount for Python in the past. Seems like you've built a really nice tool which has lots of languages supported. Out of curiosity, how are you funded?

[amasad]

Was a side project in hibernation that didn't cost anything to run. Around 2015 we revamped the site and added a lot of features which caused us to grow a lot and became too expensive to run and maintain. Quit my job last year and raised a seed round but still try to keep burn rate to a minimum and hope to start making money soon.

[2T1Qka0rEiPr]

Best of luck :)