Post · bonfire.cafe

@FediTips@social.growyourown.services · last week

p.s. If you're wondering why you don't hear more about web apps, it's because Apple and Google hate them. Web apps totally bypass Apple and Google app stores.

Apple and Google enjoy controlling and taxing apps, but they have no control over web apps and don't get any money from them.

Apple even tried to stop web apps completely, luckily they had to back off: https://open-web-advocacy.org/blog/apple-backs-off-killing-web-apps

Web apps are a way of getting apps directly from the people who make them, without big tech getting in the way.

James Cridland

@james@bne.social replied · yesterday

@FediTips You should add Phanpy to the list of web apps there - an excellent Mastodon client that works brilliantly. @phanpy has lots more info.

Fedi.Tips

@FediTips@social.growyourown.services replied · yesterday

@james

I'm trying to keep that particular article simple by just listing the server types whose website can be installed as a PWA rather than listing all the third party web clients.

However, I do have Phanpy and Elk listed on the general "which app should I use?" page: https://fedi.tips/which-apps-can-i-use-should-i-use-the-official-app-or-a-third-party-app/ 🙂

https://fedi.tips

Which Mastodon apps can I use? Should I use the official app or a third party app? Are there other options?

An unofficial guide to using Mastodon and the Fediverse

⁂

More from

Fedi.Tips

Gabe Kangas

@gabek@social.gabekangas.com replied · yesterday

@FediTips I was just looking through this page, and I wanted to bring up one little nit, if that's alright. You mention that Mastodon apps are built on open standards, and that's not exactly true. The Mastodon API was created by Mastodon for Mastodon, and it's not an open standard like ActivityPub is. Third party apps implement the Mastodon API so they can talk to Mastodon servers.

Christian HB9HOX

@hb9hox@mastodon.radio replied · last week

@FediTips I never understood why there has to be a native app for everything? A good responsive website has once the effort (compared to three: website, iOS, Android) and reaches also those niche platforms (Linux mobile).

Sci-Fi Girl

@5ciFiGirl@starbase80.wtf replied · last week

@FediTips

Oh, this sounds useful! 😎

Pi Fisher

@3geek14@kind.social replied · last week

@FediTips the thing that's kept me on Tusky instead of the PWA is remembering where I left off. I follow few enough people and tags that I'm able to read it all, and I try to do so. Do you know whether there's a way to keep track of where I am in my feed with the PWA?

Aiden

@Magic@gaygeek.social replied · last week

@FediTips Oh this is good to know!! I was using one of those apps but this sounds a lot better. Out of curiosity do they take up space or are they more the equivalent to a desktop shortcut?

Fedi.Tips

@FediTips@social.growyourown.services replied · last week

@Magic

They're more equivalent to a desktop shortcut 🙂

Ellie Kennard

@elliek@zeroes.ca replied · last week

@FediTips
I don't see this option on zeroes.ca, though I'm logged in.
This is on Brave browser. Is it browser dependent?
@trendless @zeroes

Mastodon Migration

@mastodonmigration@mastodon.online replied · last week

@FediTips

Do web apps utilize privacy protection and ad blocker plug-ins like Privacy Badger?

Fedi.Tips

@FediTips@social.growyourown.services replied · last week

@mastodonmigration

I don't think so, but you can check the website on your normal browser to see how many pings you get in software like PB, Ublock Origin etc.

For Fediverse websites, they normally produce no pings at all so the privacy/security software isn't needed for them.

Web apps have much less access to your phone's data so they tend to be inherently safer anyway. That's why some companies push their app store apps so heavily instead of websites, they want your data.

Mastodon Migration

@mastodonmigration@mastodon.online replied · last week

@FediTips

OK, but wondering if you click on a link in the web app, does it then fire off your default browser including any plug-ins? So that would be fine. Or is it some default browser without the plugins?

Fedi.Tips

@FediTips@social.growyourown.services replied · last week

@mastodonmigration

It does exactly what the app store app would do and open it in a browser window.

Mastodon Migration

@mastodonmigration@mastodon.online replied · last week

@FediTips

No experience with web apps, but just want to say that simply using the web interface (browsing to the instance web address) does everything and is a very good experience. Have never found the need for anything else.

You can save the shortcut link to your desktop (PC) or homescreen (mobile) and access your account with one clip.

Nothing against web apps, but this works just fine, and always the latest software. KISS principle.

Fedi.Tips

@FediTips@social.growyourown.services replied · last week

p.s. If you're wondering why you don't hear more about web apps, it's because Apple and Google hate them. Web apps totally bypass Apple and Google app stores.

Apple and Google enjoy controlling and taxing apps, but they have no control over web apps and don't get any money from them.

Apple even tried to stop web apps completely, luckily they had to back off: https://open-web-advocacy.org/blog/apple-backs-off-killing-web-apps

Web apps are a way of getting apps directly from the people who make them, without big tech getting in the way.

e11bits

@e11bits@mastodon.social replied · yesterday

@FediTips I keep hoping the developer verification #Google tries to force on #android can still be averted. But in any case, what I would love to see as a result of this BS move is, to give the idea of #PWA (progressive web apps) a big boost. But maybe the next step is, that #Google sides with #Apple in another attempt to kill #PWA ...

https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Progressive_web_apps/Guides/What_is_a_progressive_web_app

#FDroid #sideload #digitalautonomy #webdev #appdev

What is a progressive web app? - Progressive web apps | MDNMDN

A progressive web app (PWA) is an app that's built using web platform technologies, but that provides a user experience like that of a platform-specific app.

Fedi.Tips

@FediTips@social.growyourown.services replied · yesterday

@e11bits

We can only hope PWAs become a sort of escape route for people who care about privacy and independence from big tech corporations.

mellowfish

@mellowfish@ruby.social replied · 6 days ago

@FediTips with respect. As a software developer who has done both native and web, you don’t hear about web apps because they are a pain to build, don’t really add a lot of value, and approaching zero people ever install them. It’s a pipe dream.

Fedi.Tips

@FediTips@social.growyourown.services replied · 6 days ago

@mellowfish

They add lots of value, for example the Mastodon and PeerTube apps have lots more features than their official apps.

So often when I'm helping people use Mastodon, I have to tell them to use the website or web app because the official app store app is missing a feature.

They also have fewer restrictions because they don't have to obey app store rules on responsibility for instance content.

Toni

@coloco@mstdn.social replied · last week

@FediTips Apple no deja poner F Droid en móvil

Android/Google si

Algo se diferencian no?

Por que eso?

Fedi.Tips

@FediTips@social.growyourown.services replied · last week

@coloco

I think there were some technical barriers but @fdroidorg would be able to give a proper answer?

Fedi.Tips

@FediTips@social.growyourown.services replied · last week

p.p.s. By their web-based design, web apps have much less access to the data stored on your phone. It's much harder to spy on people from web apps.

That's why so many companies try so hard to push you away from their websites and towards their app store apps, because app store apps make it much easier for them to spy on you.

Ross Wintle

@ross@crikey.social replied · last week

@FediTips I really do wonder why we don't see more web apps. Whenever I come across them being well-done, I find it such a good way to make things. And I build plenty myself. Easy to spin up. Easy to host. Easy to update. And the web platform is so capable nowadays!

Dan Morris

@coldfish@sfba.social replied · last week

@FediTips this is very true. I wrote an app for my client's field engineers and I think a lot of the need was to track

Jeffrey P Burdick

@burdickjp@mastodon.social replied · last week

@FediTips
"No, I do not want to install your terrible app." is something I say often.

Bosque Bill

@bosquebill@techhub.social replied · last week

@FediTips Ah, ha! That is interesting and makes perfect sense now you mention it.

Joe

@not2b@sfba.social replied · last week

@FediTips I use @phanpy as a web app on my phone to access Mastodon. It works well.

Longplay Games

@Longplay_Games@mastodon.gamedev.place replied · last week

@FediTips I develop for iOS the way Jobs intended - via mobile-compatible websites.

Apps are awful and have way too much info access.

Fedi.Tips

@FediTips@social.growyourown.services replied · last week

@Longplay_Games

Yeah, that's the other reason you see "use us through our app" notices, companies want to harvest personal data.

BigLinter

@biglinter@mastodon.social replied · last week

@FediTips imagine theres a fight and nobody is joining

Clinton Anderson SwordForHire

@ClintonAnderson@universeodon.com replied · last week

@FediTips

So wait.... If I have an old phone that I can leave plugged in, that I can leave connected to WiFi, I can run my own instance????

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