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Web apps force users to upload the data to the server instead of forcing users to run mysterious binaries on their local machines. I'm not going to get into wh

Web apps force users to upload the data to the server instead of forcing users to run mysterious binaries on their local machines. I'm not going to get into which is worst but the current SAAS/web app model is neither open nor free in any meaningful way either.

gotchange 11y ago
Most mobile apps have a web interface and they can communicate with servers on a regular basis making them not that different from their web counterparts.
lewisl9029 11y ago
Web apps do not intrinsically force users to upload anything. Client-side web apps can operate entirely offline and store data only on the client. They can also be configured for app-like operation by including a Web App Manifest [1], created specifically for this purpose. Until the Web App Manifest gets widespread platform support (which may not ever happen since both Apple and Google are heavily incentivized to keep app developers locked-in to their ecosystems), you can use manifoldJS [2] to polyfill for platforms that do not support it using Cordova. [1] http://www.w3.org/TR/appmanifest/ http://www.w3.org/TR/appmanifest/ [2] http://manifoldjs.com/ http://manifoldjs.com/ EDIT: So apparently Chrome for Android already supports the Web App Manifest [3], but to distribute for the Play Store you still need a .apk package, which is probably why manifoldJS still polyfills it. In contrast, Firefox OS allows submitting apps to the Market from your web app's URL directly, as long as it has a manifest. [3] https://developers.google.com/web/updates/2014/11/Support-for-installable-web-apps-with-webapp-manifest-in-chrome-38-for-Android?hl=en https://developers.google.com/web/updates/2014/11/Support-fo...
- VOYD 11y ago
  all the personal info you send just connecting to a "web" or "mobile" app, is of utmost importance to the company hosting the web site/app. "operating" offline just means that data is uploaded when a user in "online" or it's done in the background.
  - lewisl9029 11y ago
    > "operating" offline just means that data is uploaded when a user in "online" or it's done in the background. By "operating offline", I was referring to purely client-side apps that, once their static resources have been downloaded, can run completely offline without communicating to any server, ever.

gotchange 11y ago

Most mobile apps have a web interface and they can communicate with servers on a regular basis making them not that different from their web counterparts.

lewisl9029 11y ago

Web apps do not intrinsically force users to upload anything. Client-side web apps can operate entirely offline and store data only on the client. They can also be configured for app-like operation by including a Web App Manifest [1], created specifically for this purpose. Until the Web App Manifest gets widespread platform support (which may not ever happen since both Apple and Google are heavily incentivized to keep app developers locked-in to their ecosystems), you can use manifoldJS [2] to polyfill for platforms that do not support it using Cordova. [1] http://www.w3.org/TR/appmanifest/ http://www.w3.org/TR/appmanifest/ [2] http://manifoldjs.com/ http://manifoldjs.com/ EDIT: So apparently Chrome for Android already supports the Web App Manifest [3], but to distribute for the Play Store you still need a .apk package, which is probably why manifoldJS still polyfills it. In contrast, Firefox OS allows submitting apps to the Market from your web app's URL directly, as long as it has a manifest. [3] https://developers.google.com/web/updates/2014/11/Support-for-installable-web-apps-with-webapp-manifest-in-chrome-38-for-Android?hl=en https://developers.google.com/web/updates/2014/11/Support-fo...

VOYD 11y ago
all the personal info you send just connecting to a "web" or "mobile" app, is of utmost importance to the company hosting the web site/app. "operating" offline just means that data is uploaded when a user in "online" or it's done in the background.
- lewisl9029 11y ago
  > "operating" offline just means that data is uploaded when a user in "online" or it's done in the background. By "operating offline", I was referring to purely client-side apps that, once their static resources have been downloaded, can run completely offline without communicating to any server, ever.