I kinda get the complaints (e.g. https://andregarzia.com/2020/03/private-client-side-only-pwas-are-hard-but-now-apple-made-them-impossible.html) about Apple killing PWAs but I don't feel strongly about it, largely because I've stopped caring about the web as an application platform.
We've been trying this web apps thing for over a decade, and a few things should be abundantly clear by now:
- Web apps will always have worse UX than nice native apps. The barrier to entry may be low, but so is the ceiling on what you can build
- The web fundamentally assumes a client-server paradigm no matter what you tack onto it, making it a bad fit if you care about privacy
- Anything we add to browsers can and will be used for adtech/surveillance
@tbernard I think I somewhat agree, but with one caveat: webapps have made it way easier to do important things online.
I like being able to manage my bank accounts without going to a branch. My bank has a web interface and Android/iOS apps.
My bank will probably never make a native GTK app to manage my accounts. Neither will my local DMV for managing my vehicle registration and driver's license. The fact that I can access these things on the web and not use the major platforms is a big plus.
