Hard agree on all counts with what you’re saying here Jon.

There’s definitely something to be said for having actual review of apps, even though there’s already a plethora of malicious applications on the respective app stores, we REALLY don’t need to make this situation worse.

My sincerest hope is that PWAs will eventually give way to some form of universal application that leverages web assembly, which at that point would be able to run with essentially the same performance as a native app on both mobile and desktop, provided the right containment environment, permissions, and access to system architecture.

THAT BEING SAID, I also agree with you in that I’ve been doing this since Flash was owned by Macromedia, and we’ve already seen the dangers of having something akin to an applet running on the user-side with untold permissions and access, largely unmitigated by the browser API.

Alternatively, if we could just drop the politics and allow sites to run standalone without installation, we could basically mimic a native feel without the user having to download or install anything.

Goto website, site opens in standalone mode, you use the app, and you exit using the same controls you would for standalone architecture.

Crucially right now we’re at a weird crossroads where most apps, if we’re living and dying honestly, have already been designed and developed. Now, the market is essentially just picking up slack and scraps where major corporations have failed to deliver value and adequate experience.

Though, we will probably see the next incarnation of these apps extend and pivot into AR/VR/MR/XR, etc. it does make me wonder what exactly we can expect in terms of actual products/services vs the monopolization of entire market segments by huge companies which essentially own the platforms that are being designed for/developed on.

I suppose time will tell, eh? Until then, PWAs are probably the best we can hope for! XD