Intent to Prototype: Run PWA on Startup
Carlos Frias
Contact emails
carlos...@microsoft.com, jungke...@microsoft.com
Explainer
Design doc/Spec
TBD
Summary
This feature prototypes a mechanism for a Progressive Web App (PWA) to be launched when the user logs in.
This prototype will focus on allowing PWAs to be launched on user logon provided the user turns a feature flag on. Feature flag will be off by default. The UX will be a simple prototype quality unchecked-by-default checkbox in the install dialog as also noted in the explainer.
This is Phase 1 of the overall feature.
Phase 2 (later) will involve providing a way for the developer & user to opt-in or out of this feature with a properly designed interaction model. A separate study is being run to close on that.
Phase 3 (later) will contain the ability to run the PWA on user logon “minimized”.
Motivation
Application users have an expectation of having certain applications automatically run on user logon. This ability seamlessly enhances the user experience on the device allowing the user to engage with the application right away.
Currently this capability is not available for PWAs. In contrast, native applications across different operating systems can be configured to automatically launch on user logon by opting in through the installer wizard. To further advance the effort to make PWAs more native we must provide a similar mechanism for PWAs. This is a big ask from a lot of partners who are investing in PWAs.
Risks
Interoperability and Compatibility
No interoperability and compatibility risk has been identified for the prototype phase. Feature is intended to be disabled by default behind a feature flag.
Edge: In development/ public support
Chrome: Public support
Firefox: No signals
Safari: No signals
Web / Framework developers: Possibly good reception since developers are interested in this feature availability.
Issue 897302: Run on OS login (a.k.a. "run on startup")
Ergonomics
In this phase, there is no exposed API or dependency on other APIs. The feature is going to be disabled behind a feature flag. The next phases that will come later were already described in the previous sections and will have their own I2Ps.
Activation
No dev activation will be needed for this phase. As mentioned earlier the user will need to enable a feature flag to try out this prototype.
Debuggability
None.
Will this feature be supported on all six Blink platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux, Chrome OS, Android, and Android WebView)?
No.
To start with, the prototype will only focus on Windows (all supported versions) and then later we will land a solution for macOS. For the remaining platforms, we will be actively looking for volunteers to help implement this.
Link to entry on the feature dashboard
TBD
Requesting approval to ship?
No.
Stephen Konig
On Friday, January 17, 2020 at 6:51:38 PM UTC-5, Carlos Frias wrote:
Contact emails
Jungkee Song
On Monday, January 20, 2020 at 3:46:00 PM UTC-8, Stephen Konig wrote:
With the understanding that this is currently just a prototype, how would you envision this working with enterprise policies? Enterprises may want to specify which apps do, and do not, run on user login.
On Friday, January 17, 2020 at 6:51:38 PM UTC-5, Carlos Frias wrote:
Contact emails