A presentation at Modern Frontends Live! in in London, UK by Patrick Brosset
Building desktop apps in the age of the web Patrick Brosset - @patrickbrosset 2022
👋🏽 Hey, I’m Patrick! I’m a Product Manager at Microsoft. I work on Edge. 🐥 @patrickbrosset 🐘 @patrickbrosset@mas.to 🕸️ patrickbrosset.com
Let’s talk about desktop apps!
Who here remembers winamp?
Demo time! 🤞🏽
What’s a desktop app exactly?
Desktop apps … 💾 Can be installed. 💡 Always works, whether you’re connected or not. 📂 Can handle local files. 🪟 Control the content of their entire windows. 🔗 Usually integrate with other apps. 🔗 Usually integrate with the Operating System.
💾 1. Making it installable
Web app manifest Service Worker HTTPS
💡 2. Making it always work
📂 3. Handling local files
🪟 4. Using the entire window
🔗 5. Integrating with other apps
protocol://
web+??://
sharing
🔗 6. Integrating with the operating system
Let’s sum up! 💾 Installation ➡️ manifest/service worker/HTTPS ➡️ publish to stores with PWABuilder 💡 Always works ➡️ Caching resources on install of SW 📂 Local files ➡️ Register as a PWA file_handler 🪟 Draw in the entire window ➡️ Use the Window Controls Overlay 🔗 Integrate with other apps ➡️ Register as a protocol_handler ➡️ Register as a share_target ➡️ Share out with navigator.share() 🔗 Integrate with the OS ➡️ Display shortcuts ➡️ Insert widgets
Myth #1 PWA is old news…🧓🏽
Myth #2 It’s only on mobile📱
Myth #3 But the web can’t do native
“today we are extending Photoshop to the web as a beta” Photoshop updates https://blog.adobe.com/en/publish/2021/10/26/photoshop-ships-major…
Myth #4 But it doesn’t work on iOS🍎
Thank you! https://patrickbrosset.com Discover Microsoft content and earn swag! https://aka.ms/ModernFrontends
Does building native apps on desktop operating systems have to be frustrating and cost a fortune? Can’t we just use the web to create native-like experiences on desktop?
In this talk, we’ll see how PWAs are revolutionizing the way we build and distribute highly capable apps on desktop OSes.
We’ll take a look at a demo and deep dive into code examples showing how to create a deeply integrated and native-like experience. With this talk, you’ll feel excited about the future of the Web and motivated to build your next app.
for free. You
can too.