Love how every website now has a popup that tells you "our website is hot dogshit, download the app instead"

[vt52@ioc.exchange]

@mwichary @PavelASamsonov this is intentional on the part of Apple: PWAs compete with apps that ship in their app store, and they can't get a cut of that sweet sweet app revenue if folks can just install the PWA for free...

and since they don't allow non-safari browser engines, they can keep their stranglehold over platform behavior and make sure that even if PWAs are like... legally required to be a first-class construct, Apple can continue to nerf them so they're not able to be as good.

see also: https://open-web-advocacy.org/

[mcc@mastodon.social]

@paddyduke @PavelASamsonov "Wouldn't it be better if we were tracking you more aggressively?"

[bearbob@hachyderm.io]

@BillySmith @PavelASamsonov Which is kind of wild, considering what they can get already out of you using one of the common browsers…

[kos@stolat.town]

@PavelASamsonov and then the app asks you to accept cookies

[ertain@mast.linuxgamecast.com]

You get it, @PavelASamsonov

[foobarsoft@mastodon.social]

@PavelASamsonov I use an app to order from a restaurant because they will not keep me signed in.

It’s a web view.

That view asks to track me, in their own app. It’s asks to use my location. In their app. It tells me to sign in. *I AM*.

And yet somehow that’s still the better experience than just their site.

[ranvel@hachyderm.io]

@PavelASamsonov this is my favorite post from the past week

[aho@ioc.exchange]

@PavelASamsonov it's just annoying that you need a single site browser for everything nowadays, even my bank app is like this

[ryan@social.codefor.nl]

@PavelASamsonov yeah but now with the app they're able to suck way more PII from you.

[nev@status.nevillepark.ca]

@PavelASamsonov idea: sell a web browser as "what if you could read news stories, order delivery, shop, watch online streams, etc., ALL IN ONE APP?"

[darkghosthunter@mastodon.social]

@PavelASamsonov death of the Internet vibes.

[paczekzkimchi@wspanialy.eu]

@PavelASamsonov but the metrics from the app

[ghost_letters@fosstodon.org]

@TimWardCam @PavelASamsonov

It will add the site to your home screen. When you open it from the home screen it will have no URL bar. It can be styled a bit more.

A good portion of user will say "it is an app".

[777exi@tech.lgbt]

@PavelASamsonov Ehhh New York Times sucks anyways >_> They have done some corrupt shit like disparaging headlines against democratic candidates and that kind of thing. I think they ran something against Zohran Mamdani??!?! smh who even does that Zohran is like the best of us

[rythur@mastodon.social]

@PavelASamsonov

They're selling the smart phone CONCEPT.

[qgustavor@urusai.social]

@PavelASamsonov Well, they are not lying, it's really better... for them, as it makes it easier for them to get your data.

[hvanleeuwen@mastodon.social]

@PavelASamsonov i avoid apps

[onceoday@mstdn.social]

@PavelASamsonov

[mwichary@mastodon.online]

@vt52 Thanks. I am aware of all these reasons, but didn’t know about the effort you linked to, and I see quite a few friends in there! Appreciate it.

[jaark@infosec.exchange]

@ghost_letters @TimWardCam @PavelASamsonov
That is a "Progressive Web App" (aka "PWA"). Yes a fair amount of discussion about them elsewhere in the discussion.
Basically they can do many of the things that native apps can do (background running, offline functionality, notification etc.) and can look like a normal app. Difference is that they are actually running in the browser so you don't have the potential privacy and security issues of a native app.