Re: WebApp installation via the browser

On 31 May 2014, at 5:00 am, Brendan Eich <brendan@mozilla.org> wrote:

> Jeffrey Walton wrote:
>> On Fri, May 30, 2014 at 9:04 PM, Brendan Eich<brendan@mozilla.org>  wrote:
>>> Jeffrey Walton wrote:
>>>> Are there any platforms providing the feature? Has the feature gained
>>>> any traction among the platform vendors?
>>> Firefox OS wants this.
>> Thanks Brendan.
>> 
>> As a second related question, is an Installable WebApp considered a
>> side-loaded app?
> 
> Sicking can answer with more authority, but side-loaded or downloaded, so long as the user installs it, no difference.

The only difference is the permissions available to the app.  Some permissions require a “privileged" app level, and this is only granted to apps installed from the Firefox Marketplace, after security review. This difference only applies to packaged apps - regular web apps (hosted apps) are treated the same no matter where they are installed from.  Note that Firefox OS Apps may control which domains may install them by specifying the “installs_allowed_from” manifest property. [1]

Developers are also able to side-load apps via the Firefox App Manager, but this is done via the Firefox debugger, and separate to web-based installation. Side-loading allows developers to grant any permissions to their apps, but as stated correctly above, side-loaded apps are not treated any differently once installed.

[1] https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/Apps/Build/Manifest#installs_allowed_from

Regards,
Paul Theriault

> 
> /be
> 

Received on Sunday, 1 June 2014 14:06:44 UTC