[ToucanLoucan]

> I used to agree but these days with Vite things are a lot smoother.

Didn't everybody say the exact same thing about Node, React, jQuery...? There is always a new and shiny frontend JS solution that will make the web dev of old obsolete and everyone loves it because it's new and shiny, and then a fresh crop of devs graduates school, the new shiny solution is now old and boring, and like a developer with untreated ADHD, they set out to fix the situation with a new frontend framework, still written in JavaScript, that will solve it once and for all.

I still build websites now the same as I did when I graduated in 2013. PHP, SQL, and native, boring JavaScript where required. My web apps are snappy and responsive, no loading bars or never-ending-spinning emblems in sight. shrug

[petre]

Except you can't really build PWAs with those technologies and most web content is now consumed on mobile. I used to do it like that as well, but clients want a mobile app and management decided to give them a PWA, because then we could use the existing backend (Perl, Mojolicious, SQL). I now agree with them if it keeps the lights on.

[jjani]

> I used to do it like that as well, but clients want a mobile app and management decided to give them a PWA

I'm quite surprised to hear this is a common thing. Besides myself, I don't know a single person who has ever installed a PWA. For people in tech, despite knowing they exist. For people outside tech, they don't know they exist in the first place.

Does management actually have any PWAs installed themselves?

[ivan_gammel]

People outside tech just get installation instructions and do not care if it’s app store or something else. This is how sanctioned Russian banks continue to serve their customers via apps, when they cannot get into app store. The number of users of PWA is probably on the scale of millions.

[jjani]

I had no idea! Cool to learn.

It definitely makes complete sense in that scenario, but remains a very niche usecase where people have no other option.

>People outside tech just get installation instructions

People outside of tech don't need instructions to install non-PWA, store apps. So all this does to me is reinforce that no one is installing PWAs outside of niche scenarios where 1. people basically have to use the app due to a connection to a physical institution 2. they are explicitly told how to do it 3. the app is not available on the stores for legal reasons.

[ivan_gammel]

> People outside of tech don't need instructions to install non-PWA, store apps.

Depends on age and tech awareness. Many still do, when they cannot rely on a family member to do it for them. Overall installing PWA is no more complicated than getting something from a store.

[Scarblac]

That sounds like roughly all work related software? Not so niche at all.

[jjani]

Who uses PWA for work-related apps though? There too, the standard is MDN which uses a curated version of the app stores.

[pjmlp]

For me the whole worker setup filtering requests and storing results on local storage, looks like gimmicks.

They should have designed it as a proper native experience.

[petre]

They don't want to be subject to app store approval policies, shitty TOS, nor pay Google or Apple a 30% cut. Installing the app is easy, visit the web site, clck the install banner, add to home screen and you're good to go. On the developer side you get to deploy as iften as needed.

Yes, the service worker thing is annoying but you possibly don't need it if you have a server backend. It's basically a glirified website with a home screen icon. Most of the native vehicle, asset or fitness tracking apps need a backend anyways and they fail miserably when disconnected from the network.

[pjmlp]

Might be easier for the user, sucks as developer experience.

Better do a mobile Web friendly website and leave it at that.

Most users hardly tell the difference anyway.

[jjani]

> They don't want to be subject to app store approval policies, shitty TOS, nor pay Google or Apple a 30% cut. Installing the app is easy, visit the web site, clck the install banner, add to home screen and you're good to go. On the developer side you get to deploy as iften as needed.

And the metrics are saying that people click it?

[petre]

We don't care about people clicking it as it's not tiktok but an app that complements a certain hardware solution. If you don't have the hardware, you don't need the app.

[pjmlp]

Just focus on being mobile friendly, hardly anyone cares about PWAs and the crazy setup of JavaScript workers to make it work.