Phonegap alternative?

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hpl123
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Joined: Fri Feb 01, 2013 1:13 pm
Location: Scandinavia

Re: Phonegap alternative?

Post by hpl123 »

tford wrote: Tue Jan 31, 2023 12:04 am Thanks Henrik

Just diving back into Aware again recently. Can get me up to date about how PWA impacts Aware IM's current state of development?

Thanks!
Well, its a big topic but as I see it PWAs are the future when it comes to mobile apps etc. (native will most likely still exist but be more and more for specialised complex apps) and the current functionality and toolset a PWA offers is more or less all that is needed to build advanced and featurerich mobile apps without having to go the native appstore etc. route (all that is needed to do most if not all Aware developers mobile apps). Apple is lagging behind a bit but does still support 95% of the most important PWA features and Apple is getting more aboard with PWAs year by year.

If you look at the different links shared above in this post you can read up on what exactly the PWA toolset is and also about the benefits of PWA (and also some about native VS PWA).

I think having a "PWA builder" if you will built into Aware would make mobile development for Aware users a whole lot easier and better.

The last Awaresoft said about this was that they are waiting for Apple to get further along but that can take years and the current PWA toolset is again good enough to build very good mobile apps on both Android and IOS so IMO having it in Aware now would bring a lot of benefit to us Aware developers.
Henrik (V8 Developer Ed. - Windows)
tford
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Joined: Sat Mar 10, 2007 6:44 pm

Re: Phonegap alternative?

Post by tford »

Thanks so much for the primer, Henrik!!
Tom - V8.8 build 3137 - MySql / PostGres
joben
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Re: Phonegap alternative?

Post by joben »

One of the most important things missing right now in iOS PWA is, in my opinion, push notifications.
Last time I checked, it just wasn't possible.

I don't see why Apple would fix this anytime soon. It would remove a huge part of their income from App sales.
Regards, Joakim

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hpl123
Posts: 2579
Joined: Fri Feb 01, 2013 1:13 pm
Location: Scandinavia

Re: Phonegap alternative?

Post by hpl123 »

joben wrote: Tue Jan 31, 2023 10:43 am One of the most important things missing right now in iOS PWA is, in my opinion, push notifications.
Last time I checked, it just wasn't possible.

I don't see why Apple would fix this anytime soon. It would remove a huge part of their income from App sales.
I agree, this and the install prompt installing the app with 1 click are IMO the 2 big things missing on IOS.

Push notifications are just around the corner I think, I read multiple reports in 2022 that it was coming and doing a google search on it now in 2023 gets results like https://www.reddit.com/r/PWA/comments/v ... 6_in_2023/

The right strategy for Apple business wise would be to adapt based on the times, current technology etc. and not hang on to their old ways of doing things. Find ways to make money wlth PWAs instead and as both Google and Microsoft are aboard the PWA train and strong proponents of PWAs, Apple can't not follow sooner or later.

I do however not see this not being supported yet being a dealbreaker, there are ways to work around that (don't use push notifications for IOS, use SMS/email, use an in app dashboard showing notifications when a user logs in etc. etc ). Albeit not ideal but good enough IMO for most use cases and for other situations where push notifications are absolutely crucial, then build a native app instead. Its not either or. A PWA still offers tremendous value as is with all the options available, just take a look at the latest link I posted in the other post above. Take a look at the examples there and you can also test many of the PWA examples on your phone (open URL seen in the apps screenshots). If you google it you can also find a lot of other cool PWA examples.

When it comes to the install prompt, this is not a biggie either I think as the current PWA "framework" allows for a nice popup on IOS devices instructing the user in how to install the app (2 clicks literally, its the add to home screen option that installs the app).
Henrik (V8 Developer Ed. - Windows)
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