30
7
There are a number of Chrome apps that seem to "duplicate" a website, by being just a shortcut to some web service.
Examples include, but are not limited to:
They don't seem to add or modify any features except for placing a shortcut on the "Apps" page.
Are there any reasons in installing these? What do they actually do?
Wow, really comprehensive! In short, this means that chrome apps still interact with the server, but have most of the resources (JS/CSS/HTML) already loaded, + allows to overcome browser limitations with additional features. – kolypto – 2014-05-11T20:41:03.013
2The default browser sandbox has a rather restrictive permission set. A browser window used for an app will instead use the permissions granted to the app. – Simon Richter – 2014-05-12T06:17:08.260
2The second quote is a little misleading - any normal website can use those features as well. – OrangeDog – 2014-05-12T08:51:00.377
@OrangeDog Any normal website can sometimes use those features as well. With an app you can develop specifically for Chrome. Without that you may have to support things such as IE, causing everlasting nightmares. Progressive enhancement to the rescue. Well, that too has enough issues to cause nightmares. – Aidiakapi – 2014-05-12T12:26:41.923
1I would also point out that these are bit useless when you take into consideration Image & CSS Caching. They don't even allow for independent sessions...basically what real problem do they solve? Other than removing browser chrome, what function do they provide worth bothering with? I suppose they are easier to install than doing it with other browsers but without the individualized sessions, I just don't see the point. – Michael Tunnell – 2014-05-14T04:22:33.160