There seems to be a very big battle going on in cyber space, but not a battle between patents and companies like Android (News – Alert) and Google. This particular dispute is between those who prefer native apps and those who prefer to write their code using HTML5.

Facebook (News – Alert) is in the middle of this battle for having worked with native apps and applications that are built on the top of HTML5.

Facebook is one of those companies that had sworn up and down that HTML5 was the way to go, up until it decided that its site needed to have native applications for its iPhone (News – Alert) and Android applications. The claims that native apps are better are only backed by the fact that the native programs seem to be running faster and smoother.

It seems that most mobile device users would agree these days that mobile applications are greatly preferred to mobile websites. One study showed that a whopping 85 percent of those who were surveyed preferred a mobile application to a mobile website.

That basically means people largely prefer native applications to those that are built on HTML5.

Among the reasons that HTML5 seems to be losing steam is that native apps just seem like they load faster and are “easier to browse.” Native apps are also considered more convenient than those that require an Internet connection.

There is therefore a slight majority (56 percent) in the study who said they’ve had problems with native apps. Crashing is the biggest issue most people have encountered.

This means that people who are celebrating the preference of the native app are also coming under increased pressure. People want more and better performing apps all the time. They want applications that will open in less than three seconds. Those who are heeding the call are seeing their efforts pay dividends.