How Did We Get Here?

Simon MacDonald

@macdonst

Progressive Web Apps use modern web capabilities to deliver an app-like user experience.

They evolve from pages in browser tabs to immersive, top-level apps, maintaining the web's low friction at every moment.

So they're just web pages?

Flashback

1989-1993

1994

<img>

1995-96

Java Applets

  • Write once, Run anywhere!

  • Sandboxed

  • AWT

1995-96

1996

1997

1999-2006

The iPhone

2007

2008

iPhone 3G

2009

2010

2012

{
  "name": "My App",
  "description": "My elevator pitch goes here",
  "launch_path": "/index.html",
  "icons": {
    "512": "/img/icon-512.png",
    "128": "/img/icon-128.png"
  },
  "developer": {
    "name": "Your name or organization",
    "url": "http://your-homepage-here.org"
  },
  "default_locale": "en",
  "chrome": { "navigation": true }
}

FireFox OS App Manifest

React Native

2015

2015

Secure Origin

Offline Support

Web app manifest

{
  "short_name": "Maps",
  "name": "Google Maps",
  "icons": [
    {
      "src": "/images/icons-192.png",
      "type": "image/png",
      "sizes": "192x192"
    },
    {
      "src": "/images/icons-512.png",
      "type": "image/png",
      "sizes": "512x512"
    }
  ],
  "start_url": "/maps/?source=pwa",
  "background_color": "#3367D6",
  "display": "standalone",
  "scope": "/maps/",
  "theme_color": "#3367D6"
}
{
  "name": "My App",
  "description": "My elevator pitch goes here",
  "launch_path": "/index.html",
  "icons": {
    "512": "/img/icon-512.png",
    "128": "/img/icon-128.png"
  },
  "developer": {
    "name": "Your name or organization",
    "url": "http://your-homepage-here.org"
  },
  "default_locale": "en",
  "chrome": { "navigation": true }
}

PWA Installation

Fancy API's

It’s impossible to fail if you learn from your mistakes.

Steve Jobs

If I have seen further it

is by standing on the shoulders of Giants

Isaac Newton

Where do we go from here?

“There’s no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share.” — Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO

"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." Thomas Watson, IBM CEO

My Predictions

Computer will get faster

Memory size will increase

Dev tools will get better

Thank for listening,

 

Simon MacDonald
@macdonst

PWA's How Did We Get Here?

By Simon MacDonald

PWA's How Did We Get Here?

Ottawa JS February 2020

  • 2,497