Concerned about Facebook app

[lordofthereef]

I do use Facebook, and obviously know more than you do about it since I get along fine with the built in integration and need no app.

No need to argue, but there are plenty of limitations of the built in integration.

For starters, I can't "like" individual replies. I also can't seem to "mention" anyone in a post. There are also no live alerts to speak of at all. I basically have to refresh my "People" or my "Me" apps. Is this a big deal? Depends on who you ask. For me, it is fine. I am not a compulsive FB user who needs to know whenever a person responds to one of my posts. But I do know people who appreciate that sort of functionality, and that is certainly not integrated.

 

[ImmortalWarrior]

As a web developer and database administrator, I think you're a bit off in your definition of a power user. Most power users don't care about system scripts or how an operating system works, only that they *do* work so that the power user can do their thing.

Neither of those jobs makes you or anyone with those titles a power user. I do DBA as a subset of my development and no power user skills are explicitly necessary for doing DBA. Nor for web development. I know tons of people who claim to be web developers but don't know their *** from their elbow when it comes to anything outside of html, CSS JavaScript and PHP.

I still maintain that a real power user knows how to get the most out of his/her machine. That includes scripting and command line tasks. Facebooking and blogging is not being a power user.

 

[iamtim]

Neither of those jobs makes you or anyone with those titles a power user.

Either does "software developer" or "network security analyst". You're funny.

 

[rdubmu]

Rowi is a nice 3rd party twitter app, Facebook notifications has greatly improved. I find the wp Facebook app hood, you could go to this site touch.facebook.com
Sent from my RM-820_nam_att_100 using Board Express

 

[kenzibit]

First, I don't know what you think a power user is, but it's not a social network fiend. Generally (and with many other definitions that do not include what you seem to think), a power user is someone who writes operating system scripts and cares about every minute detail about the back end of how an operating system works and makes their life easier (or harder lol). Someone who writes 650 facebook wallposts a day is NOT a power user of any kind. As a software developer and network security analyst, that statement offends me.

Second, how is it Microsoft's fault that the public facebook API is limited? If you really were a power user you would understand that API's that are exposed to the public have limitations for stability, usability, security, and sometimes monetary reasons. The reason why the facebook integration and the facebook app are not as full featured as the ones on iOS and Android is because they use the public APIs (maybe Microsoft has a bit of a deal with facebook on additional functionality). If you really want a facebook app for Windows Phone stop chewing about it here, and take it to facebook dev teams through Twitter, Facebook and the company email/contact info. WP doesn't sell 8 million a month yet, make them realize that we are growing and that you want it.

You can be right about your definition but you should know english words aren't specific - open a dictionary and you'll find all words have more than one meaning, so don't take the word for yourself as your own property. The way I understand poweruser is how everyone else around the web understands; you might as well write a post or be on TV and tell everyone else it's wrong and it offends you so we should stop using it wrongly. ;-)

If iOS/android facebook apps are using public APIs to make them look better, what's preventing WP developers from also going for the same meat? If microsoft can't give us better Facebook app, can't they consult facebook itself for their developers to help? If you really want your product to soar high I guess you have to invest and take risks.

 

[devize]

All the facebook apps suck. Just give me push notifications and I'll use the browser site.

I really do like the facebook messenger apps though, I'd like to see facebook port that one over to WP. They work very well.

 

[cckgz4]

Why does Facebook suck on this platform?!

As someone stated, Facebook personally develops for iOS and android.


Sent from something uhmayzing using my pinkie

 

[muitosabao]

Yup, FB app sucks big time. Pretty cool that with the new live lock screen you get to see your notifications on the lock screen...except they hardly work. They come in randomly, so I never trust the number there, because it's always out of date. I don't get it, is it so hard,to fix??

Regarding the comments on twitter app they're pretty much senseless because there's a ton of excellent third party alternatives twabit, rowi, mehdoh. Also, don't forget the twitter and FB integration on the system itself, and that works pretty good

 

[truthsforme]

An improvement I noticed on the integrated Facebook is that you are now able to comment on videos and links. On WP7, we weren't able to do so.

 

[Ushae]

Facebook and Twitter really need to have apps developed by the parent company for it be as effective as the iPhone equivalents. It's up to Facebook to create a native app, which shouldn't be hard at all since WP8 is now MUCH easier to develop for. The one we have access to is a 3rd party app.

Personally I'd request the feature, if there is enough demand, they'll be obligated to do it. I've also requested similar things from my favourite sites that have apps such as IGN and GTTrailers.

 

[ammarmalik2011]

Why are you all blaming Facebook for not creating an app? They have ZERO incentive to go through the trouble. It takes a LOT of time to make a new app from ground up. Does Windows Phone have enough users to justify whatever resources FB will spend in making an app? Absolutely not.
This is where Microsoft comes in. They need to push Facebook. Joe Belfiore or Ballmer needs to call Zuckerburg and tell him they need an app for their platform. Facebook put Skype and Bing Maps into their website. Surely Microsoft can push them to create an app.

 

[ImmortalWarrior]

Either does "software developer" or "network security analyst". You're funny.

Except that every mundane task for my Windows and Unix boxes is scripted. Everything. JScript, VBScrip, Bash, Shell, Python, you name it. Do you think that a power user is just any "developer"? You would be wrong.

 

[ImmortalWarrior]

If iOS/android facebook apps are using public APIs to make them look better, what's preventing WP developers from also going for the same meat? If microsoft can't give us better Facebook app, can't they consult facebook itself for their developers to help? If you really want your product to soar high I guess you have to invest and take risks.

Facebook on Android and iOS is not using the facebook public APIs. They are using the private API because they are the company that design the system. Typically, a public API requires that you register a key and use that key to make requests to the server. The requests contain posted information, typically SOAP xml bodies, and that information is used by the server to process your request. Public APIs limit the amount of requests you can make in a certain time period (hence the reason why your phone doesn't automatically request an update every 60 seconds). The APIs also limit what types of requests are available to the public key.

So, take Twitter for example and that app on Windows 8 that ran into the 200k limit. The public API for Twitter required that company (Liquid Daffodil I think it was) to register with them, Twitter supplied them with an API key. Typically, some sort of GUID. When their Twitter app makes a request it posts a block of data (usually SOAP xml like I said before, but it can be in any format the developer's want it to be in) and that posted data contains their public API key. What happened was that over 200k unique users have used their API key. This means they have hit the limit Twitter is imposing. Then the public API key gets locked out. Game over for the app.

We would all love push notifications for facebook, but the public API would never do such a thing. Likely, Microsoft has set up their own servers to facilitate a compromise. What they would have done is written a service that is run on a scheduled task, say every 60 seconds per user. This service runs on their account servers (or wherever the **** they want to put it, it could be anywhere) and when it detects an update it pushes an alert to their own code on your device. The problem with this is that Microsoft has millions of users and the service making these queries is still limited by the public API provided by facebook.

The facebook on iOS and Android on the other hand, is writted by the people at Facebook. So, unlike the public API, they will have access to their own servers for pushing data updates. They can detect a database update at the source and immediately push an alert to their own apps. It is something that is unrestricted for them because they not only own the front end application, but the back end servers that manage and serve up the data. There is a massive difference here. If you all want a better facebook app for WP, let the facebook dev team know. When 20 thousand people ask them directly for it, they might listen

 

[lottidah]

The FB app is garbage. I'm happy for those who use it casually and don't miss the features that are absent, but I hope we all can appreciate that those who DO use those features find the app unusable. I agree this will stop some people from embracing WP.

I need to be able to post statuses, photos, and check-ins just to specific FB lists. Can't do that. Can't like certain posts, can't share other FB content, the newsfeed refreshes randomly and throws me to the top when I was a good five minutes down reviewing new content.

The Android app was buggy at some things (photos took forever to load, if they ever even did), but all the features were there. Inline photos were actually legible.

The Touch website is almost a decent alternative if you don't mind the right side of every photo being cut off.

Seriously, if WP could get a decent FB app, more ppl would flock to it. I'm sure that is offensive to the WP fanboys who have much nobler purposes for their phones, but it's true IMHO.

 

[brmiller1976]

Facebook and Twitter are both outstanding on the WP platform, and have been since WP 7.5.

The people claiming otherwise are simply spreading FUD.

The WP8 Facebook client is the best of the big three platforms. It doesn't have the constant errors of the Android version nor the need to "slide left" to access menus on the iPhone version (which I find cumbersome). I don't use a lot of the "private group" stuff, but am a fairly heavy user and find it to be slick, fast, and visually pleasing.

Twitter integration in the phone itself is awesome, and the Twitter "official" app for WP8 is quite good. It updates quickly, and I say that as a heavy Tweeter with almost 3,000 followers.

 

[lottidah]

The WP8 Facebook client is the best of the big three platforms. It doesn't have the constant errors of the Android version nor the need to "slide left" to access menus on the iPhone version (which I find cumbersome).

Perhaps you mean the UI of the app, which I will agree is nice. But the missing functionality is what I take issue with.

 

[iamtim]

Do you think that a power user is just any "developer"?

Not even remotely. But I do think that you don't have to be a developer or script kiddie to be a power user... there are Office power users and Creative Suite power users and, yes, even Facebook power users and most of them don't "write operating system scripts and care about every minute detail about the back end of how an operating system works".

 

[brmiller1976]

Perhaps you mean the UI of the app, which I will agree is nice. But the missing functionality is what I take issue with.

I'm not a "power user" of Facebook, just an everyday user.

I think "power users" are going to want the fabled Facebook phone.

 

[Winterfang]

Facebook integration is fantastic, Facebook application leaves much to be desired.

 

[lottidah]

I'm not a "power user" of Facebook, just an everyday user.

I think "power users" are going to want the fabled Facebook phone.

Or an iPhone or an Android, both of which have the functionality missing in the WP app.