Speaker
Description
The GNOME Foundation funded me to work a project starting in November 2021 to make Progressive Web Apps first-class citizens in the GNOME desktop environment. Progressive Web Apps are essentially websites which make use of web standards to enable them to look and feel more like native apps: they can be installed like native apps, used without the usual browser chrome such as the address bar, and they can support some or all of their functionality offline. My project has consisted of working on a new portal to allow Flatpak'd web browsers to install web apps without adding sandbox holes, adding back support for web apps to GNOME Software, and revamping the web app support in GNOME Web. I have also bootstrapped an initiative to include a set of PWAs with GNOME Software to help users discover them and broaden the set of apps available for linux desktops. Much of the work is also useful for KDE and other desktop environments, so it is not only beneficial for GNOME. This should increase the value proposition of the linux desktop both for users and app developers, who can reach users much more easily. This presentation will cover the project and hopefully get you excited about PWAs on linux desktops!
