Turn Any Website Into an App in Seconds
Free The Web Apps (FTWA) is an open-source initiative that converts websites into lightweight applications, enhancing user experience with quick access and minimal resource consumption, supporting various popular web services.
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Free The Web Apps (FTWA) is an open-source initiative that allows users to convert websites into lightweight applications, enabling them to operate outside of traditional browser frames. This service is designed to enhance user experience by providing quick access to web apps through system menus like Spotlight or Rofi, while consuming minimal resources. FTWAs are characterized by their small disk space requirements, typically just a few kilobytes, and their speed in creation and usage, making them a more efficient alternative to heavier Electron applications. The platform supports a variety of popular web services, including TodoMate, YouTube Music, Figma, Discord, and ChatGPT, among others. FTWA aims to unlock the full potential of these websites by offering a more app-like experience without the constraints of a browser interface.
- FTWA allows users to turn websites into lightweight applications.
- The applications are quick to create and use, consuming minimal disk space.
- FTWAs provide a better user experience compared to traditional browser usage.
- The platform supports a variety of popular web services.
- FTWA is an open-source project, promoting accessibility and customization.
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- Users express interest in the functionality but report bugs and issues, particularly with Firefox integration.
- There are requests for compatibility with additional browsers, such as Arc, and clarification on the distinction between FTWA and existing PWA features.
- Some users share alternative solutions and tools for similar functionalities, indicating a competitive landscape.
- Concerns are raised about the potential misunderstanding of FTWA's capabilities, particularly regarding app creation.
- General enthusiasm for the concept is evident, with users eager to see further development and support.
16 comments* The Firefox (BETA) entry does not work on default Ubuntu installs, where Firefox is a Snap. Yes, snap bad, bla bla bla, but it still remains one of the most likely way Firefox will be installed on Ubuntu. This comes from the fact that your script attempts to locate the profile folder in ~/.mozilla/firefox, whereas snaps stores them in ~/snap/firefox/common/.mozilla/firefox/.
* New profiles unfortunately don't share logins on Firefox, which means your app is disconnected at first. Not a big deal, but could maybe be changed by copying some things from the default profile ?
* Firefox does not display _any_ titlebar when ran in this way.
Love the idea. There's many times where I'd like something to have a bit more "privilege" on my toolbar than what a regular tab (even pinned) gets.
@mathix maybe you can make it clear on the website that this doesn't create app/play store apps, as most people probably think about them when they read "turn any website into an app".
From the github readme[0]:
> FTWA uses the --app='https://app.example' parameter with Chromium-based browsers to launch a website in "app mode".
> [...]
> When choosing linux as target OS, FTWA generate a shell script that will create a .desktop file and it's icons.
[0]: https://github.com/mathix420/free-the-web-apps?tab=readme-ov...
There is an official thread here with people discussing how the single-page-as-an-app functionality should work: https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/discussions/how-can-firefox-c...
I ended up writing a firefox extension to open up URLs in a new "popup" window[1]: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/web-app-maker.... I just checked it on Windows (usually using linux) and the popup window type does not allow the maximize button to work. Oh well...
[1]https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Mozilla/Add-ons/Web...
Eager to try your product! Have you considered including it on SetApp?
It does the same, but runs as a "separate app" so that cmd+Q only exits the app
I believe the PWAs will correctly show up in the OS native app launchers.
I wanted Udemy app to be available for smart TV platforms like FireTV stick or SamsungTV.
Udemy makes an android and ios app but not for TVs.
Teachable is another online learning platform that ignores Android altogether and makes only an ios app.
LMS vendors like Docebo that have become very popular (AWS Skill Builder, Databricks academy, etc) have very poor mobile support.
Wonder if there is a way to make it work using tools like these. Any pointers in that direction would be appreciated.
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