Developments of the web introduce new ways of using technology. Sometimes the evolution brings positive changes that are not obvious initially. But some events highlight the significance. Like for example the periodic controversy about the removal of certain mobile apps from certain managed application stores (like Google Play, or Apple Store, or You Name It Store; anything that is controlled by a single entity). You’ve certainly heard of removing app used in Hong Kong protests (or the Tricorder removed from Google Store, or...).
One significant advantage of Progressive Web Applications is that they do not require any form of "app" store. No Google/Apple/whatever store. PWA apps are therefore resilient to arbitrary removal. The tech is increasingly supported by mobile operating systems. Use it?
— Lukasz Olejnik (@lukOlejnik) October 10, 2019
Progressive Web Applications (PWA) change this and makes apps resilient to removal. To simplify, PWAs are simply very specialized websites that can be added to the home screen. They can behave like nearly a native app (and will be more powerful soon). Adding is simple in most mobile browsers (Firefox, Chrome, Safari).
One significant advantage of Progressive Web Applications is that they do not require any form of "app" store. No Google/Apple/whatever store. PWA apps are therefore resilient to arbitrary removal. The tech is increasingly supported by mobile operating systems. Use it?
— Lukasz Olejnik (@lukOlejnik) October 10, 2019
Sometimes the impact of technology is big and goes beyond incremental change. This is one of the less obvious features of PWAs. As web developers will continue adopting them, it will further drive the evolution of the Web. As we can see it may be highly impactful.
Ps. This post is admittedly different than those I usually write, and is maybe closer to a previous one.
Pps. Did you like my work? Have comments or are you perhaps interested in another type of analysis? me@lukaszolejnik.com.