Although most of us are used to using the usual programs, Microsoft has been trying to change things for a long time, especially since the launch of Windows 10. In addition to UWPs, applications from the Microsoft Store, the company is working to make the so-called progressive web applications, PWAs, more useful and convenient to use. And a new change that Microsoft has just proposed for these types of apps will mean that you will not be able to differentiate them from any other program.
What is a PWA
A progressive web application, or PWA, is an app that, instead of being programmed in a programming language like other programs, and having its own functions and libraries, is based on a web. These apps can be created very easily from a browser like Chrome or Edge , and we can run them like any other program, from its direct access. They tend to be very small apps (they don’t even reach 1 MB), and they stand out because, depending on a backend server, they are always up-to-date.
Many websites ( ITIGIC , for example) are already prepared to be installed as a PWA in Windows 10 from Chrome and Edge. In addition, Microsoft’s web browser allows us to convert any website, even if it is not prepared, into a PWA. And although these apps work very well, the truth is that aesthetically they are a bit ugly. For example, web apps have an upper bar where we will see the title of the page , much like the browser. It stands out too much against typical Windows programs.
And this is the next thing Microsoft wants to root out.
Small but important aesthetic changes in progressive web applications
A new change in the technical documentation of the PWA gives us some clues about what the future of this feature will be like . As we can see in this document, Microsoft intends to get rid of Edge’s PWA title bar and give developers control over this region.
Thanks to this change, developers will have much more control when developing web applications, and by having control over the title bar they will be able to unleash their imagination to adjust the design as it suits them.
When this change takes effect (which is still in development), instead of displaying the title and the web description at the top, a developer can use this area to place the content that is usually normally placed just below. Thus, for example, we can see a logo, a search box, navigation controls or accessibility options, for example.
Broadly speaking, the objectives of this project are:
- Developers will have control over the top bar of PWAs .
- The app windows, in addition to looking much more native, will have new possibilities (similar to the interface of Word and Excel).
- Edge will offer a design according to the operating system.
We can try it right now
Although at the moment both Microsoft and Google are investigating these new standards and looking for the best way to bring them to all users, there is still work ahead before they can enjoy them.
If we don’t want to wait any longer, and we use the Canary versions of both Chrome and Edge, we will be able to enable, from the browser flags, this experimental function. We just have to write “chrome: // flags” or “edge: // flags” and search for “PWA Window Controls Overlay”.
And, if we want to closely follow the development of this feature, we can do it from GitHub .