So this is how the instant app thing went down yesterday
1. Someone on here shared a link to a CBC article about a video of two lynxes being cute
2. This content is highly relevant to my interests, so I clicked the link on my Android phone
3. Instead of opening the URL in chrome, Android instead installed the CBC "instant app" and opened the article there
4. The article would not let me play the video it was about, saying I would need to install the real app to play video
5. Everything sucks
@srol How is that app install even possible? Did it prompt you to install?
Regardless, yes, everything does suck.
@craigmaloney no, it just happened. It took like 15 seconds. Just as soon as I tapped a status bar came up "installing instant app"
@srol Wow. That's some Grade-A level nonsense right there.
That's beyond nonsense. That's installing unwanted software on my device withouty consent.
@srol what the blue hell is an "instant app"
@srol wow, that does suck.
The lynxes sound like humans screaming btw
Receipts
@srol I'm not sure that may help but what is your browser?
@charlag chrome
@srol I _think_ Firefox have some facility to not do not automatically redirect to apps but I'm not sure. May be useful. Or not.
@srol So I'm of a few minds on this.
#1: branded apps suck, everything should be routed through task-specific software (in this case, usenet+mail+RSS client I'd argue)
#2: the web should be an document platform, not an app platform, Instant Apps are therefore an improvement over web apps (really, it's Java Web Start all over again)
#3: if you're going to do an Instant App, it better do full functionality
#4: a CBC article is a document, not an app, so it should work in the browser
@srol that is some insidious bait and switch right there.
@srol Yet another step in the appification of the web. :(