Confirmed: Web apps for Firefox are coming
Firefox users have to do without Progressive Web Apps on the desktop. However, the developers are working on this – but are not committing to a timetable.
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However, progressive web apps (PWAs) for Firefox will not be coming – for an indefinite future. Firefox product manager David Rubino explicitly confirmed this in a blog post. With PWAs, users can use any website like a desktop application and integrate it into the desktop environment. Under the hood, these are websites as usual, but they are limited to one domain –. If the user clicks on an external link, they switch back to the regular browser. There are exceptions for login pages.
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Rubino emphasizes that Firefox PWAs should be tabs in the taskbar or dock – The developers expressly do not want to hide the browser from the user. By default, however, PWAs should not display a tab bar or bookmarks, although both can be activated. However, the address bar and activated extensions will always remain visible, but the former will only display the path and cannot be actively used. Settings can be made as usual via the toolbar.
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Initially, the PWAs will only be available for Windows. In his blog post, Rubino describes the macOS implementation as much more complicated, emphasizing the integration into the desktop environment. He does not explicitly mention Linux, but holds out the prospect of “other desktop platforms” after the Windows launch. Originally, the work on the PWAs was only supposed to take a few weeks according to the developers' plans, but it is taking longer than expected. He therefore no longer wants to commit to a timetable. More details on the announcement can be found in the Mozilla forum.
PWAs are a highly requested desktop feature in Firefox, which the developers are adding despite the browser's uncertain funding. Chrome, on the other hand, already supports PWAs; Microsoft Edge, Brave, Opera and Vivaldi, for example, use the same technology.
(fo)
