Honest question: is there a way to receive the equivalent of app notifications on a mobile app from a website? It would need to be more than just a text message such that clicking the message opens the “app” to a specific place regarding the alert (and automatically handling login).
This doesn’t seem like it would work if the mobile browser was closed, phone was locked, etc. Am I wrong? I’d like to get away from apps but this doesn’t seem like a complete solution.
Nope it works fine on mobile! Android can spin up apps if notifications come in & will spin up Chrome which will spin up your service-worker! I have my qualms with Android but this seems well designed!
https://web.dev/articles/push-notifications-faq#why_doesnt_p...
Desktop OSes don't have anything parallel, so yeah, you need the browser running. But nothing has to be on screen.
It means that if you publish a website in Germany, you need to have your real name and address on the site, or some enterprising lawyer will probably sue you.
Yeah I took that decision a while back; mostly when 64bit was being forced upon us, the multitude of new screen sizes, and the 'support this new tech or we wont approve your app' attitude. I am so very glad to be out of those walled gardens. And every story since has only reaffirmed my decision, especially this latest news.
It would be nice to turn the tables and have some of these giant companies disclose their entire complicated tax avoidance structures to public scrutiny.
Anyway I quit smart phones a year back, and would ask fellows developers to still consider working on 'normal' websites before the world is totally controlled by these closed garden ecosystems.
Until wasm fully kicks in in browsers, websites – or, more precisely, web apps - are just dev environment built on top one of the ill-suited tech stack for UI apps. It's very limiting and provides one of the most frustrating dev experiences. A lot of developers prefer not to work with web simply because dev-experience is one of the worst, despite the sheer number of hacks on top of hacks built to hide the fundamental flaws of this UI stack.
That's okay. I'm talking about the fact that web-stack is built on top typesetting engine (HTML) developed in 80-s for completely different task. Same for hackish scripting solution developed in two weeks and called Mocha (later renamed into Javascript), and an ad-hoc solution for styling HTML called CSS. These three pillars of web stack were never meant or designed to be used for UI prgramming and user-facing apps development.
And also about the fact that if anyone wants to offer their app on the web, they have literally no choice but to write software using that stack.
Many times the choice between "use web-stack" and "use proper UI framework" boils down to acceptability of slower and more painful distribution process. With web apps there is virtually no distribution process – users download app every time they want to use (because, of course, it makes sense, right?). But with other solutions, there is some sort of distribution process – like Apple/Google App Store or app repositories. Which makes app distribution more secure and efficient, but adds some pain to the process. If you want to reach as many users as possible, you need web, and that's how we all got locked in into writing apps using typesetting engine and pretending that it's okay.
> And also about the fact that if anyone wants to offer their app on the web, they have literally no choice but to write software using that stack.
If you want to offer your app on Android, you have literally no choice but to use Android Studio. Is that really better? At least it’s possible to write HTML on an old computer without running out of RAM.
Is it possible to have offline access to a website app? My main use case is developing for tablets and phones for offline use. It would simplify my life greatly if I could just direct people to a webpage.
Google Play has also recently started requiring this, and I know someone affected by it. It is very problematic for small developers because they may have to publish their home address, which opens them up to the possibility of harassment and so on. I don't think it's a good change.
It depends on how you're publishing your apps. If you have a registered business which publishes the app then you can use the business address, so a PO box might be viable. You'll need to make sure your business is registered on that address in your national business registry.
Otherwise you are required to give your personal address.
I don't have a registered business. Nonetheless, I used a P.O. Box for my EU trader address in the App Store—a P.O. Box that I opened for this specific purpose—as well as a Google Voice phone number.
These were both accepted by Apple and published in the EU.
You are according to the EU's rules of digital markets. Any app provider is.
If you don't process any personal information, don't have ads or purchases and don't have online backend services... Then you might have a chance of arguing you're not a business. But that's probably so few apps it's worth it to just require everyone to follow the same rules.
In the US, if you run your own business your business address is public information already in most states. You can use a registered agent address in the US which can keep your personal address off the public record for your business.
Most places do not accept a PO Box which is why most use a Registered Agent service.
I'm not citing 50 Secretary of States. Delaware has an option to be more private than other states. Though if you setup the App Store you need a DUNS number which then makes the address mostly public.
Similar in EU. There are all sorts registry of self-employed people. Phone, address, date of birth, in some cases even local equivalent of Social Security number are public. Some countries even publish income.
Google Play also requires it if you're just publishing as an individual for free. I made my account back in 2010 and the last update was in 2011, and let it get restricted earlier this year because I didn't want to publicize that information.
You are required to provide a phone number. All phone have dual SIM capabilities these days. I hope there is no rule to pick up the phone when it rings. !!
> The Digital Services Act (DSA) in the European Union requires Apple to verify and display trader contact information for all "traders" who are distributing apps on the App Store in the European Union. Developers who make money from the App Store through either an upfront purchase price or through in-app purchases are considered traders, regardless of size
We all thank the bureaucrats in Bruxelles for this nonsense
Oh, I thought this was people complaining about having to share their address with Apple and was like “that’s bs just do that, why wasn’t it required already”.
I didn’t realize that they meant “share with the public on the store”. That seems pretty awful (I understand the intent, but I think such a law is geared towards actual businesses rather than hobby/side gig level devs).
I think this is one of those things where having a mechanism to directly contact the developer does make sense (as this is clearly intended as a mechanism to serve legal docs so often requires physical address), but given for many people this is their home address not a business address that seems super unsafe.
I don’t know what the PO Box situation is like in the EU either, but I know in some places in the US there’s a waiting list.
To me I think that maybe the safer solution here would be for the appropriate EU agency to allow smaller devs to register their home address and have that act as an intermediary to avoid just have their home address being public, while also having people be sure that there is a real and accurate contact address.
On the other hand I would have assumed that was covered by standard business registration?
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[ 0.18 ms ] story [ 27.7 ms ] threadhttps://web.dev/articles/push-notifications-notification-beh...
Desktop OSes don't have anything parallel, so yeah, you need the browser running. But nothing has to be on screen.
What does that mean?
It would be nice to turn the tables and have some of these giant companies disclose their entire complicated tax avoidance structures to public scrutiny.
Anyway I quit smart phones a year back, and would ask fellows developers to still consider working on 'normal' websites before the world is totally controlled by these closed garden ecosystems.
And also about the fact that if anyone wants to offer their app on the web, they have literally no choice but to write software using that stack.
Many times the choice between "use web-stack" and "use proper UI framework" boils down to acceptability of slower and more painful distribution process. With web apps there is virtually no distribution process – users download app every time they want to use (because, of course, it makes sense, right?). But with other solutions, there is some sort of distribution process – like Apple/Google App Store or app repositories. Which makes app distribution more secure and efficient, but adds some pain to the process. If you want to reach as many users as possible, you need web, and that's how we all got locked in into writing apps using typesetting engine and pretending that it's okay.
If you want to offer your app on Android, you have literally no choice but to use Android Studio. Is that really better? At least it’s possible to write HTML on an old computer without running out of RAM.
Wouldn’t a PO Box be a better option? They run as little as $10/mo for one at the USPS.
Otherwise you are required to give your personal address.
See e.g. https://dev.to/svprdga/privacy-nightmare-as-google-plans-to-... but there are plenty of other sources that match my experience.
These were both accepted by Apple and published in the EU.
If you don't process any personal information, don't have ads or purchases and don't have online backend services... Then you might have a chance of arguing you're not a business. But that's probably so few apps it's worth it to just require everyone to follow the same rules.
This is simply not true. I've read the regulations, because I had to declare trader status myself.
Most places do not accept a PO Box which is why most use a Registered Agent service.
https://developer.apple.com/support/D-U-N-S/
I learned this from a friend who was under witness protection, so it was a necessity for him.
I'm using it mostly to keep the usual spam away from my mailbox.
Google Play also requires it if you're just publishing as an individual for free. I made my account back in 2010 and the last update was in 2011, and let it get restricted earlier this year because I didn't want to publicize that information.
I'm letting my account lapse in November when this falls due for me - no way in heck I'd be putting these details out there.
No great loss for google or the world, but still smarts a bit given the hours I've put in to them over the years.
As for address, no workaround yet.
We all thank the bureaucrats in Bruxelles for this nonsense
I didn’t realize that they meant “share with the public on the store”. That seems pretty awful (I understand the intent, but I think such a law is geared towards actual businesses rather than hobby/side gig level devs).
I think this is one of those things where having a mechanism to directly contact the developer does make sense (as this is clearly intended as a mechanism to serve legal docs so often requires physical address), but given for many people this is their home address not a business address that seems super unsafe.
I don’t know what the PO Box situation is like in the EU either, but I know in some places in the US there’s a waiting list.
To me I think that maybe the safer solution here would be for the appropriate EU agency to allow smaller devs to register their home address and have that act as an intermediary to avoid just have their home address being public, while also having people be sure that there is a real and accurate contact address.
On the other hand I would have assumed that was covered by standard business registration?