keneci Network
News • Science & Tech • Comedy
PWAs: Will The Web-based Apps End Big Tech App Store Tyranny?
July 12, 2024
post photo preview

Progressive Web App(PWA) is basically a website built to function as a native desktop software or mobile app. The main advantage of a PWA is that it is apps store-independent and cross-platform.

Opening a PWA-optimized website like 'Gab.com' for example, on a standards-compliant browser like Brave would immediately trigger an instal prompt on the top-right corner of the browser window within the address bar.

On mobile browsers, the PWA prompt may be 'install Gab' or 'add Gab' [to the homescreen]. In the absence of the prompt, just adding the website to the homescreen will do the trick.

Once installed, the PWA functions more like a native app. This circumvents app stores like Google Play and Apple's App Store where free speech apps like Gab are banned.

Other browsers that support PWA include Gab's own Dissenter, Microsoft Edge, Google chrome, Apple's safari and Opera mobile. PWAs are supported on Windows 10, android and iOS.

For a website to be a PWA, it must run on certain core web technology components. And while User Interface frameworks like Angular and React support and have all the components for PWAs, it is important to note that PWAs are not framework-dependent.

PWAs store data as HTML files, use CSS and images from the browser cache which makes them load faster and also work offline by utilizing a specific set of components.

Critical components of a PWA includes Service worker, JSON manifest, App shell and other tools that continue to be added as UI frameworks and standards evolve.

A service worker is a type of web worker. It’s a JavaScript file that runs separately from the main browser thread, intercepts network requests, caches, and delivers push messages. If there is no network connection, a service worker will pull data from the cache using the browser’s cache API.

JSON manifest is a file that contains metadata of the app describing the UI. The manifest controls whether the app will have a more native rendering, the icon to be displayed on the home screen when installed, the orientation, the full-screen rendering, and so on. The manifest is responsible for creating an app-like experience.

App shell is the container where the data is stored. The app shell architecture consists of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and allows some lightweight settings to be quickly loaded during the first visit, which reduces the time required the first time the PWA is launched. The app shell is responsible for the UX of the PWA.

Note that PWA components are based on common and open web technologies, hence keeping the development independent of any one app store software development kit(or SDK).

Google and Microsoft are working together to support the PWA ecosystem. Google has been adding PWA components -- like workbox, chrome Devtools and lighthouse -- to their UI frameworks.

The technologies behind PWAs are not new. Steve Jobs tried this in 2007 with HTML5-based standard for web apps on iphones. Apple later changed course with the introduction of iOS SDK.

Web technology development has since advanced, and JavaScript is becoming a computational power. Most PWAs are more feature-rich than their traditional native counterparts.

Advocates claim that with PWAs, smartphone users don't need to worry about app updates and storage space; and developers don't have to grovel to the big tech app store duopoly of Apple and Google, to distribute their PWAs. Gab social and other apps banned from Play store and App Store, are taking advantage of PWAs to great success.

Ironically, the tech giants are embracing PWAs, probably for different reasons and the fact that the general trend is towards 'stream everything.'

ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley reported last year that Microsoft is building an Azure-powered 'Cloud PC' service to be launched this year. With such service, Windows 10 operating system users can access and interact with the OS via a browser, making windows 10 accessible on any 'thin client.' A windows 10 PWA on android, iOS or Mac can give one access to the OS without having to worry about updates and graphics power of your device. The crunching of data is done behind the scenes on Microsoft servers.

Microsoft has also released popular apps like Office and outlook as PWAs. The tech giant accepts PWAs from developers who wish to distribute via their windows 10 app store.

Google has released their popular services as PWAs. These include YouTube music, map, photos, Drive, Keep and stadia. Google Play store also supports PWAs. Twitter Lite is a PWA.

With gaming being the only holdout for now in the 'stream everything' race, it may not be too optimistic to say that in 5 to 10 years, the tyrannical regime of the app store duopoly -- Google and Apple -- will be have ended. Though they obviously will not go down without a fight.

community logo
Join the keneci Network Community
To read more articles like this, sign up and join my community today
0
What else you may like…
Videos
Posts
Articles
SpaceX Starlink Internet Satellites

With Starlink internet, data is continuously being sent between a ground dish and a Starlink satellite orbiting 550km above. Furthermore, the Starlink satellite zooms across the sky at 27,000 km/hr! MORE VIDEOS ON KENECI NETWORK RUMBLE CHANNEL: https://rumble.com/c/Keneci

00:28:08
Elon Musk, DOGE Speak On Waste And Fraud

US Department of Government Efficiency Services (USDS) led by Elon Musk speak on the "mind-boggling" fraud and waste in UInited States federal government

00:00:45
January 17, 2025
SpaceX Launches Starship 7th Test Flight

SpaceX successfully executed its second-ever “chopsticks” catch of a Super Heavy booster (or Booster 14) using the “Mechazilla” launch tower on Thursday(Jan. 16), during the seventh uncrewed test flight of the company's 123-meter Starship rocket. However, the megarocket's upper stage(or Ship 33) was lost approximately 8.5 minutes into the flight in a “rapid unscheduled disassembly(RUD)” or explosion

00:10:30
Welcome to Keneci Network!

Join the conversations!

December 09, 2025
Bitcoin White Paper By Satoshi Nakamoto

Bitcoin white paper

Bitcoin_White_Paper.pdf
September 17, 2024
Charges Against Sean 'Diddy' Combs In Grand Jury Indictment

The rapper was charged with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and transportation to engage in prostitution in the indictment unsealed Tuesday(Sept. 17)

Combs-Indictment-24-Cr.-542.pdf
post photo preview
US Military Strikes Iran For The 10th Consecutive Night, As Mediators Push For 10-day Ceasefire To Allow Transit Through The Strait Of Hormuz

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) at 2000 UTC Monday, initiated a major wave of airstrikes across Iran whic lasted five hours, concluding around 0100 UTC, Tuesday, marking the 10th consecutive day of high-intensity U.S. air operations against Iranian targets amid mouting U.S. casualties.

Operations targeted Iranian military command-and-control centers, air defense systems, coastal surveillance radars, naval assets, communications networks, and missile/drone launch sites, according to CENTCOM, stating the primary objective is to degrade Iranian military capabilities used to disrupt commercial shipping and enforce a naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.

U.S. officials reported nearly 100 U.S. service members have sustained varying degrees of injuries since the current campaign intensified earlier in July, with three U.S. troops killed in Jordan.

In response to the expanding U.S. campaign, Iranian military forces and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) units launched widespread counter-strikes across the Persian Gulf region, targeting U.S. bases and host infrastructure across Jordan, Bahrain, and Kuwait using ballistic missiles and attack drones.

Jordan air defenses intercepted multiple incoming missiles over the port of Aqaba. Iranian strikes targeted utility infrastructure in Kuwait, including a power and water desalination plant, causing localized blackouts and fires. And nationwide air-raid sirens sounded as air defense units attempted to intercepted incoming drones and missiles aimed at facilities hosting U.S. assets.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian declared Monday that the Islamic Republic considers itself in an "all-out war" against the United States, warning citizens to prepare for sustained strikes.

Despite the major escalation, international mediators—including regional Gulf partners and European diplomats—have been actively attempting to broker a 10-day temporary ceasefire to allow human-interest corridors and secure critical energy shipping routes.

Mediators including Pakistan and Qatar reportedly presented Washington D.C and Tehran, the 10-day ceasefire that will open both the southern and northern routes on the Strait of Hormuz, while talks continue on a permanent transit management framework which could allow Iran to collect "reasonable service fees" modeled on the Strait of Malacca, or the fees could flow into a joint fund involving the International Maritime Organization.

However, the crumbling of crumbling of earlier interim agreements and continued attacks on commercial oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz have repeatedly stalled these diplomatic efforts, as the level of trust between both sides is at all time. An Iranian spokesman Monday, confirmed receiving a proposal but gave no details.

Tensions surged in July when Iran after Iran attacked some ships on the Strait of Hiormuz, accusing the U.S. of breaking the meomrandum of understanding signed by both countries, by escorting commercial vessels through the Omani corridor on the strait without coordinating with Iran.

Following Iranian attacks on international oil tankers, President Donald Trump signed off on aggressive CENTCOM operations to enforce freedom of navigation. The death of U.S. personnel in Jordan triggered multi-day blitzes against IRGC coastal batteries and small-boat fleets, drawing direct counter-attacks against Gulf states that host American installations.

Read full Article
post photo preview
Keir Starmer Resigns As Andy Burnham Becomes UK's 7th Prime Minister In A Decade

Keir Starmer formally resigned as U.K. Prime Minister on Monday, ending a tenure of 745 days marked by a 2024 landslide victory followed by significant political turbulence and election defeats. Standing outside 10 Downing Street, Starmer delivered an emotional farewell speech declaring "my work is done" and asserting that Britain is now "stronger and fairer" than when he took office, before traveling to Buckingham Palace to tender his resignation to King Charles III.

Andy Burnham immediately succeeded Starmer as the U.K.'s seventh prime minister in a decade after meeting with the King in a ceremony known as "kissing hands" to form a government.

The former left-wing Mayor of Greater Manchester, dubbed the "King of the North," secured the Labour Party leadership unchallenged with nominations from 379 lawmakers following Starmer's announcement in June that he would step down. Burnham's ascent required him to first win a seat in Parliament via the Makerfield by-election, a necessary step as prime ministers are traditionally sitting members of the House of Commons.

Burnham pledged a "circuit breaker for Britain" in his inaugural address, promising radical changes to reverse political centralization and economic privatization trends dating back to the 1980s.

The new prime minister has said he's committed to ending rough sleeping and addressing the cost-of-living crisis; re-industrializing the country and placing essential services under stronger public control; decentralizing power to local communities and ordinary people; maintaining steadfast support for Ukraine while navigating relations with U.S. President Donald Trump; and delivering a comprehensive 10-year plan for the nation later in the year.

Read full Article
post photo preview
US Troop Killed By Unexploded Ordnance In Iraq, As CENTCOM Strikes Iranian Targets For The 9th Consecutive Night

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed the recovery of unidentified remains in Jordan from an Iranian attack on July 17 that killed two U.S. service members and left one missing. Separately, a U.S. service member was killed in action on July 18 in northern Iraq during the controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian drone, with a second service member sustaining minor injuries.

Following an Iranian ballistic missile and drone strike on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base (MSAB) in Jordan on July 17, two U.S. service members were confirmed dead and one was listed as missing. Four others were injured. On Sunday, CENTCOM search-and-recovery teams located unidentified remains at the strike location. Forensic examination is underway to verify whether the remains belong to the missing service member.

The conflict, which began in February 2026, has resulted in 17 U.S. service member deaths and over 430 injuries.

The report comes on the ninth consecutive evening of U.S. airstrikes against Iran, launched to "swiftly punish" Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces responsible for the Jordan attack. The strikes targeted Iranian coastal surveillance, air defense systems, and missile storage facilities.

Reports indicate U.S. strikes hit IRGC-operated Tabriz Missile Field in East Azerbaijan Province of Northwestern Iran, and the under-construction Darkhovin nuclear power plant, though the IAEA states no nuclear material was present.

"They've got very little left-they've got some missiles, they've got some drones, they've got some manufacturing ability, not much. Uhh we control the Strait," President Trump told reporters after his attendance at the FIFA World Cup final match between Spain and Argentina in New Jersey. "They don't control anything. So we'll see what happens but we hit em very hard again tonight, and we did that it honor of the...probably 3, it's probably 3, as opposed to 2....great patriots."

IRGC has already started retaliatory strikes targeting U.S. bases in Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Iraq. U.S offiials warned Americans living in Bahrain and Jordan of specific threats of some planned Iranian attacks.

Read full Article
See More
Available on mobile and TV devices
google store google store app store app store
google store google store app tv store app tv store amazon store amazon store roku store roku store
Powered by Locals