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Why the need to package apps like this? Going to a web app with HTML5 caching will automatically make your app work offline. The installation IS going to the UR

Why the need to package apps like this? Going to a web app with HTML5 caching will automatically make your app work offline. The installation IS going to the URL. With the added benefit that you can easily update the app by invalidating the cache. Just give web apps more localStorage, more caching space and indexedDb and viola!

msoad 14y ago
Because an icon will invite user to use the app. Most of those apps are exactly what you described. Packaged apps are needed because web apps can't access OS level information.
- kinlan 14y ago
  The biggest reason we have these apps is not really OS Level information, it is offline. We want developers to build and deliver great offline first experiences, and on the Web we just don't have that (even with AppCache).
kzahel 14y ago
I also like the content security policies of packaged apps. A web page can load new code at will and frequently does so. Packaged apps typically come bundled with everything they need to run, and can't directly load scripts from the web. Also HTML5 app cache is pretty terrible.
- purplelobster 14y ago
  Why exactly is it terrible? The one bad thing I know is that you can only invalidate the whole cache, not individual resources, but what else?
notatoad 14y ago
Because people like apps. The app wrapper makes people comfortable with the idea of using web apps in place of desktop apps.
zobzu 14y ago
The real reason is that the packaged apps have access to a privileged API. That let you make things that you can't do in webpages. As a web dev, that's what you get. As Google, you get a non-standard API that, if it picks up, will ensure you get 100% platform control (and marketshare too, but really, its about platform control)
- kinlan 14y ago
  I would do some research before spouting this claptrap about 100% platform control. There is huge effort going on in the W3C and Sysapps groups to get this whole priviledged access and installable apps standardised. The biggest thing about Chrome Apps is not the new API's, it is that we are getting developers to think about building good offline installable apps.

msoad 14y ago

Because an icon will invite user to use the app. Most of those apps are exactly what you described. Packaged apps are needed because web apps can't access OS level information.

kinlan 14y ago
The biggest reason we have these apps is not really OS Level information, it is offline. We want developers to build and deliver great offline first experiences, and on the Web we just don't have that (even with AppCache).

kzahel 14y ago

I also like the content security policies of packaged apps. A web page can load new code at will and frequently does so. Packaged apps typically come bundled with everything they need to run, and can't directly load scripts from the web. Also HTML5 app cache is pretty terrible.

purplelobster 14y ago
Why exactly is it terrible? The one bad thing I know is that you can only invalidate the whole cache, not individual resources, but what else?

notatoad 14y ago

Because people like apps. The app wrapper makes people comfortable with the idea of using web apps in place of desktop apps.

zobzu 14y ago

The real reason is that the packaged apps have access to a privileged API. That let you make things that you can't do in webpages. As a web dev, that's what you get. As Google, you get a non-standard API that, if it picks up, will ensure you get 100% platform control (and marketshare too, but really, its about platform control)

kinlan 14y ago
I would do some research before spouting this claptrap about 100% platform control. There is huge effort going on in the W3C and Sysapps groups to get this whole priviledged access and installable apps standardised. The biggest thing about Chrome Apps is not the new API's, it is that we are getting developers to think about building good offline installable apps.