News for hackers. Stuff that matters.
Re:Microsoft and Google collaborate to make PWAs better by satvikpendem on Friday July 10, 2020 @07:49PM (#23798001)
With PWAs, you have to write apps in HTML, CSS, and JS, which seems worse than natively compiled languages like Swift, Kotlin, Flutter, etc. This, I feel, is a fundamental problem.

Perhaps the solution instead is that we need a way to distribute natively compilable apps via other means, maybe through a website but also through other app stores not subject to the Google / Apple duopoly; so basically PWA level access and downloadability, but not made with web technologies.

Re:Microsoft and Google collaborate to make PWAs better by danans on Friday July 10, 2020 @08:32PM (#23798247)
> With PWAs, you have to write apps in HTML, CSS, and JS, which seems worse than natively compiled languages like Swift, Kotlin, Flutter, etc. This, I feel, is a fundamental problem.

Flutter supports compiling to PWAs

https://flutter.dev/web

Re:Microsoft and Google collaborate to make PWAs better by satvikpendem on Friday July 10, 2020 @09:39PM (#23798656)
It does, but Flutter web performance is worse than when compiled to apps.
Re:Microsoft and Google collaborate to make PWAs better by zelly on Friday July 10, 2020 @10:01PM (#23798803)
There are lots of ways to do this, to have third-party "app stores" or different binary formats for apps (e.g. WASM, JVM/CLR bytecode).

All that would need to happen is Apple to allow sideloading apps. Then the only limit would be developer creativity.

Re:Microsoft and Google collaborate to make PWAs better by MagnumPIG on Friday July 10, 2020 @07:56PM (#23798035)
But sadly this is not something Google and Microsoft would collaborate on. I would rather expect them to ready the lawyers.
Re:Microsoft and Google collaborate to make PWAs better by kupopuffs on Friday July 10, 2020 @08:50PM (#23798374)
They already did. It's called WebAssembly
Re:Microsoft and Google collaborate to make PWAs better by chabad360 on Friday July 10, 2020 @08:14PM (#23798140)
PWAs can't use WebAssembly?
Re:Microsoft and Google collaborate to make PWAs better by satvikpendem on Friday July 10, 2020 @09:40PM (#23798662)
Perhaps, but WASM isn't ready yet.
Re:Microsoft and Google collaborate to make PWAs better by entha_saava on Saturday July 11, 2020 @02:11AM (#23799989)
Off topic; I would like to know your news sources.
Re:Microsoft and Google collaborate to make PWAs better by pjmlp on Saturday July 11, 2020 @02:15AM (#23800002)
Reading conference papers, podcasts and watching talks, even from tech I don't use instead of boring TV shows.

Then just collect the references from them. :)

Re:Microsoft and Google collaborate to make PWAs better by kupopuffs on Friday July 10, 2020 @08:47PM (#23798354)
Tongue in cheek reference to WebAssembly?
Re:Microsoft and Google collaborate to make PWAs better by satvikpendem on Friday July 10, 2020 @09:41PM (#23798669)
I actually was thinking more in line with how you can download Android APKs and install them directly. More like F-Droid, especially for a platform like Apple that doesn't allow third party app stores.