Show HN: An app store just for installable web apps • Hacker News Board

Re: Show HN: An app store just for installable web apps

#11

Post by _hzw » Thu, Oct 05, 2023, 8:16 PM UTC

presson wrote: post #5

mouse_ wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Anything I wouldn't be able to do by just going to the website? :/

Off the top of my head for ios - push notifications, offline use, optimized storage options (local storage not cleared after 7 days of no use), app-like ux (no browser controls), home screen icon for easy access, background audio (sound while app is closed). The real advantage is for devs who can build an app that feels like a native app, but with one codebase for distribution across OSs/devices, not having to pay th…

I made my web app into a PWA and even went so far as to polish the home screen icon and splash screen to make it look nice once installed. However, in the end, I use the browser much more frequently, simply because I can access the URL of the page and share it elsewhere.

Re: Show HN: An app store just for installable web apps

#12

Post by presson » Thu, Oct 05, 2023, 8:23 PM UTC

_hzw wrote: post #11

presson wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Off the top of my head for ios - push notifications, offline use, optimized storage options (local storage not cleared after 7 days of no use), app-like ux (no browser controls), home screen icon for easy access, background audio (sound while app is closed). The real advantage is for devs who can build an app that feels like a native app, but with one codebase for distribution across OSs/devices, not having to pay th…

I made my web app into a PWA and even went so far as to polish the home screen icon and splash screen to make it look nice once installed. However, in the end, I use the browser much more frequently, simply because I can access the URL of the page and share it elsewhere.

The beauty of the browser is that you can choose your own adventure. Being able to use or test apps in a browser tab is awesome, and it's up to the dev to choose a ux that showcases / informs the user of additional capabilities unlocked after adding to home screen. We're at the very early days of exploring what this ux can unlock.

Re: Show HN: An app store just for installable web apps

#13

Post by tacoship » Thu, Oct 05, 2023, 8:23 PM UTC

Sweet domain! Was it expensive?

Feedback: The home page's horizontal carousels/reels lack trackpad scrolling functionality. Interaction is limited to the arrow buttons on the side. To enhance user experience, it would be beneficial to make them scrollable via trackpad, similar to the Apple Store website.[0]

[0] https://www.apple.com/store

Re: Show HN: An app store just for installable web apps

#14

Post by JohnFen » Thu, Oct 05, 2023, 8:24 PM UTC

bko wrote: post #7

mouse_ wrote: post #2

What a tragedy that what used to be called "installing" is now mocked by the industry lobby as "sideloading", and what used to just be "visiting a web page" has taken its rightful place. I have not and probably will not ever "install" a "web app". This is literally just a list of web sites. It's no more useful than Yahoo circa 1998 but now the bookmarks are on your desktop or homescreen rather than in your browser, w…

I like the idea of "installing" a web app that basically creates a bookmark to a webpage, because the alternative is installing an actual app. It's nice to have things all basically browser based as it gives the developer more control of the product and creates a single reasonable platform. I hate going to linkedin or Reddit or similar websites on mobile and them forcing me to use their app. It also breaks the domina…

> It's nice to have things all basically browser based as it gives the developer more control of the product and creates a single reasonable platform.

I get that. But as a user, I really hate browser-based applications and avoid them entirely unless I have no other option.

Re: Show HN: An app store just for installable web apps

#15

Post by bgoldste » Thu, Oct 05, 2023, 8:27 PM UTC

tacoship wrote: post #13

Sweet domain! Was it expensive? Feedback: The home page's horizontal carousels/reels lack trackpad scrolling functionality. Interaction is limited to the arrow buttons on the side. To enhance user experience, it would be beneficial to make them scrollable via trackpad, similar to the Apple Store website.[0] [0] https://www.apple.com/store

Asking the important questions.

Re: Show HN: An app store just for installable web apps

#16

Post by presson » Thu, Oct 05, 2023, 8:29 PM UTC

tacoship wrote: post #13

Sweet domain! Was it expensive? Feedback: The home page's horizontal carousels/reels lack trackpad scrolling functionality. Interaction is limited to the arrow buttons on the side. To enhance user experience, it would be beneficial to make them scrollable via trackpad, similar to the Apple Store website.[0] [0] https://www.apple.com/store

Thank you! It was pricey, but not as bad as it could've been. I pre-ordered it a month before .app became available as a TLD, and bought it on the first day of availability (May 2018!). I've been planning on building this for some time :-P

Re carousel feedback - thank you! We've talked about this but have been prioritizing some other features ahead of it. That said, your feedback helps us prioritize higher. Keep the feedback coming, the more the better! Also if you want to connect offline, lmk.

Re: Show HN: An app store just for installable web apps

#17

Post by presson » Thu, Oct 05, 2023, 8:36 PM UTC

SparkyMcUnicorn wrote: post #10

How are you sourcing the current listings? I see there's a "list your app" (which means I can't submit an app that isn't mine, right?), but there are some high quality installable PWAs that are missing. Hoppscotch is a good example. Not expecting you to index the entire internet and filter out all the spam. Just curious how the current list was built.

That's correct, at the moment you can only add an app that you can claim ownership of (vis dns). The current list was manually added by us + by devs who have listed their apps on our site, but we'll be rolling out a more scalable solution soon, along with some better curation. I think that's a good idea to allow users to recommend listings - we'll look into adding that soon. Would love for you to create an account so we can keep you posted on this feature / other progress :-)

Re: Show HN: An app store just for installable web apps

#18

Post by aragonite » Thu, Oct 05, 2023, 8:42 PM UTC

presson wrote: post #5

mouse_ wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Anything I wouldn't be able to do by just going to the website? :/

Off the top of my head for ios - push notifications, offline use, optimized storage options (local storage not cleared after 7 days of no use), app-like ux (no browser controls), home screen icon for easy access, background audio (sound while app is closed). The real advantage is for devs who can build an app that feels like a native app, but with one codebase for distribution across OSs/devices, not having to pay th…

Also, on a desktop, some websites are just more naturally run in their own separate window than as a browser tab because you frequently need to switch to/from them: e.g. ChatGPT, Gmail, Google Voice/Keep, MDN docs, dictionaries.

And you can put the PWAs in full sceen mode, whereas full-screen mode in a regular browser is almost always pointless ever since they took away tab indicators.

Re: Show HN: An app store just for installable web apps

#19

Post by bko » Thu, Oct 05, 2023, 8:44 PM UTC

JohnFen wrote: post #14

bko wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I like the idea of "installing" a web app that basically creates a bookmark to a webpage, because the alternative is installing an actual app. It's nice to have things all basically browser based as it gives the developer more control of the product and creates a single reasonable platform. I hate going to linkedin or Reddit or similar websites on mobile and them forcing me to use their app. It also breaks the domina…

> It's nice to have things all basically browser based as it gives the developer more control of the product and creates a single reasonable platform. I get that. But as a user, I really hate browser-based applications and avoid them entirely unless I have no other option.

What do you prefer? Native apps?

Re: Show HN: An app store just for installable web apps

#20

Post by majikandy » Thu, Oct 05, 2023, 8:45 PM UTC

JohnFen wrote: post #14

bko wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I like the idea of "installing" a web app that basically creates a bookmark to a webpage, because the alternative is installing an actual app. It's nice to have things all basically browser based as it gives the developer more control of the product and creates a single reasonable platform. I hate going to linkedin or Reddit or similar websites on mobile and them forcing me to use their app. It also breaks the domina…

> It's nice to have things all basically browser based as it gives the developer more control of the product and creates a single reasonable platform. I get that. But as a user, I really hate browser-based applications and avoid them entirely unless I have no other option.

Apps that are just a web app inside an app container are even worse though!