I am engaged in web development and I want to make small applications for mobile platforms. Where to begin?

Question

Mobile development

Hello, friends.
I recently started doing web development. Now I'm learning HTML and CSS, in the near future PHP and MySQL, and JavaScript. I also plan to master the configuration of web servers, and in general to understand how it exactly works. This is the background, now the essence.
Ideas of some kind of web services constantly appear in my head. And, in principle, their implementation depends only on how quickly I learn what I wrote about above. But the other day I got the idea to make an application for mobile platforms. Of course, the three most popular platforms are of interest: Android, iOS and Windows Phone.
I know that each platform has its own language, which is native. But there is no particular desire to learn this language qualitatively, because. I know that my main direction, what I like, is the web. Therefore, I decided to try to look for alternative answers to my question. Below is a short list of questions. If you have the knowledge and desire to help me with the answers - I will be very grateful.
1. As far as I understand, the ideal solution (from the point of view of a web developer who does not know native languages ​​and does not plan to learn them) for creating simple mobile cross-platform applications is PhoneGap. Right?
2. PhoneGap can only convert a web application that is written in HTML+CSS+JavaScript into a mobile platform application. Right?
3. Is it mandatory to use HTML5 and CSS3?
4. As I understand it, before you start releasing an application in PhoneGap, you must first make this application on the web. That is, roughly speaking, using HTML+CSS+JavaScript, I make a web service, for example, at example.com, implement all the functionality, and then start working with PhoneGap. Do I get it right?
5. I plan to make a small chat that will automatically find the interlocutor. The interlocutor can also be found by criteria. There will be several chips with geolocation. Is just HTML+CSS+JavaScript enough for such a service? Whether it will be necessary MySQL, let's say?
6. And here's what I don't understand a little. I'm making a web service without thinking about a mobile platform. Those. I make all the functionality, the required sizes of the button blocks. Already with the help of PhoneGap, I will make the visual part of the mobile application and adjust the screen resolutions for different devices? Or do I need to think about this in advance when I make a regular web service?
7. And finally: JavaScript. Tell me, to create such a web service, and then a mobile application - what will I need from JavaScript? With HTML + CSS it is clear - layout. They write that knowledge of Node.js will be required for the server side. For the client side - jQuery. Why then do you need jQuery UI or jQuery Mobile? If it's not hard for anyone, enlighten on these terms: Node.js, jQuery, jQuery UI and jQuery Mobile. What is responsible for what, and what will I need to solve my problem.
In general, I'm confused here, because. in web development is still very young.
Thank you for your attention and have a great weekend!

Answer 1

I would advise you to qualitatively study at least one technology inside and out.
PhoneGap is a dead end. Better not, really.
Here you will make an application for the iPhone, implement your toolbar there in css + html. In the app store, they will write reject to you and say "Friend, we have native controls for toolbars."
You will start looking for whether it is possible to use native controls somehow from under PhoneGap. Find.
It turns out that there you will need to delve into the phonegap project under XCode (you know that you will need OS X to build the project for the iPhone?)
Then you will need a simple database in the application. You will try using in-browser SQL database storage. It turns out that due to the peculiarities of data storage by the browser from under PhoneGap, it will periodically disappear from you. You will go looking for a seamless replacement, you will find it. Again, you need to go to Xcode to edit the project so that it builds correctly.
As a result, instead of developing, you will look for ways to solve problems that are not related to development in any way.
So my advice to you: if you want to start making mobile applications with little bloodshed, take Android and do it for your health. And save your nerves, they will come in handy.

Answer 2

Thank you, dear colleagues! :-)
You know, I also thought in that direction: you can't sit on two chairs. If you are engaged in a dense web, then you can not think about any usefulness and quality in mobile. At least from the start. I don’t want to do garbage, but otherwise it’s unlikely to work like this right away.
I would like to ask a couple more questions then:
1. And what do you mean by "take Android and do it for health"? Do Androids have some kind of application with which you can make applications without knowledge of Java?
2. Friends, if I just make a cross-browser web service (website) using conventional web development technologies (HTML + CSS, PHP + MySQL and JavaScript), and then just release the simplest applications for Android, iOS and Windows Phone, which will be a link to my site?
Well, that is, a person downloads a regular application for his platform, clicks on it, his native browser opens and my web service is loaded immediately. Well, something like a regular shortcut. Because going into the browser, entering the address with your hands - this is not like the classic user, but immediately clicking on the shortcut and getting to the desired site is more preferable.
Will this work, do I understand everything correctly? Is it difficult to make such a "shortcut app"? Will it be possible to distribute such an application in the App Store / Google Play?
And in general, why is such a method (not counting, of course, that this is not a native application and something will not be so convenient / fast) bad? Vaughn, Vkontakte was launched in 2006, and the application only appeared in 2011. And in 2008-2011, they used the regular mobile version of the site with might and main. Or before, the user was not so demanding and did not know that there could be an application that is much more convenient?
What do you think, gentlemen?

Answer 3

Hello, we have approximately the same direction of the idea :) what books do you read while studying html and css?

Answer 4

I have this situation too.
In general, I do not read books and have not read them.
And I didn't go to class.
Decided to create a service created.
Only practice.
I didn’t understand something, Hugo will immediately help.
Now I am writing the ELTALON
service. I cope with the tasks with a bang)