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I mean web apps, but not the broader web. Things that would have an analog as native mobile or desktop apps. This doesn’t really apply to content sites. Not ev
by tjohns 5y ago
I mean web apps, but not the broader web. Things that would have an analog as native mobile or desktop apps. This doesn’t really apply to content sites.
Not everything makes sense offline. If you need to perform real-time lookups, or if the backing database is too large, or the data is rapidly changing, or the user just infrequently visits the site - those are all good reasons to require connectivity.
But if the data is small enough, can be cached, and can be sent asynchronously, and is something the user is using consistently it’s a good candidate. Apps that work well would be things like email, productivity apps (word processing/spreadsheets/photo editing), and maybe small data feeds like weather and news headlines. Even chat is fine, since connectivity gaps are often only a couple minutes long.
My litmus test is “is this something somebody would expect to work while they’re on a train as part of their daily commute.”
- freediver 5y agoOK so Gmail is a perfect example then. Let's imagine a scenario where PWAs were fully possible on iOS and the user has a choice of a native iOS Gmail app or a PWA webview app. Do you not think that a native app would offer a better user experience and that 9/10 of users would prefer it?
- tjohns 5y agoYes, personally speaking, I’d prefer the native app given the choice. :) I’m not personally arguing for PWAs over native apps! That said, I also know there are some apps that will never be developed as native apps (due to cost issues), and in those cases it would be nice to give web developers the tools to at least make the experience more pleasant and native-feeling.
- freediver 5y agoFair enough. Can you give a few examples of real world sites that would benefit from this (that already do not have a native app)?