Re: [w3c/manifest] The new definition of "installable web application" is inconsistent with the normative text of the specification (Issue #1168)

benfrancis left a comment (w3c/manifest#1168)

As it stands I still disagree with the statement "Any website is an installable web application."

See https://tola.me.uk/blog/2026/02/12/how-i-think-web-apps-should-be-installed:
> I don’t agree with this and think it’s actually inconsistent with the normative text of the specification, which says a web site can only become an “installed” web application if it links to a web application manifest.

> Saying that any website is an installable web application also implies that all websites are web apps, which I don’t agree with. In my view, allowing any web page to be “installed” dilutes the concept of web apps and further erodes their perceived value and quality when compared with native apps. I think good web apps have certain important [characteristics](https://infrequently.org/2015/06/progressive-apps-escaping-tabs-without-losing-our-soul/) which differentiate them from websites, but as a minimum bar a website should need to self-declare as a web app by providing a web application manifest.

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