I would expect web developers these days to mostly be aware of this, since it's been in widespread use for a while, so I didn't find it odd that the article assumed that level of background.
To make it a bit less faceless while humans still matter, it was coined by Alex Russell and Frances Berriman in 2015. Russell worked at Google at the time, Berriman at Code for America.
This just seems to be a way (in Chrome) to trigger the already existing PWA install flow but from some styles element on the page, rather than the user knowing how to trigger the install flow (usually multiple clicks).
Edit: I wonder if you could do some click-jacking attacks here...
The last time I checked firefox on android didn't support PWAs like Chrome does. It just creates a shortcut to your homescreen. Chrome on android use WebAPKs. You can verify this by looking at the package id in the app info of the created shortcut.
I don't really get it. I click Install in Firefox. I get an app icon. It works, :shrug: ?
Like we don't saw fake download bottons imitating the legitime button.
https://microsoftedge.github.io/Demos/pwa-install-element/in...
I forsee abuse of such:
const button = document.querySelector('install');
button.addEventListener('promptdismiss', () => {
console.log('User dismissed the install prompt but forcing installation of adware, malware and bitcoing mining anyway');
});Perhaps usable in an entirely locked down corporate environment where centralised IT with "standard desktop builds" and MDM will enforce Chrome use. But without at least Safari support, and ideally Firefox (plus forks), this remains a useless toy to me.