Introduction to Progressive Web Applications

Progressive web applications have become a very popular topic in the web and mobile development communities. They are receiving a lot of attention at technical conferences and presentations all over the world. Large technology companies like Google, Microsoft, Apple, and Mozilla are providing (or working towards) support for them in their browsers and operating systems. Building a single application that is delivered via the web and provides much of the same functionality and experience as a native or desktop application can be a very attractive option for many types of business applications

In this presentation we will discuss what makes an application progressive and how it compares to other types of common web and mobile applications. We will also discuss why you would consider building an application using a progressive approach. This discussion will cover the basic technologies used to create progressive applications: progressive enhancement, responsive design, web application manifests, service workers, and an application shell architecture. We will wrap up with a look at some of the current challenges and limitations of progressive web apps.

Presenter Bio:
David Wilson is a full-stack software developer living in Raleigh, NC. He developed an avid interest in computers in elementary school and has been programming ever since. He works for NRECA (https://www.electric.coop/) as a full-time remote team member building web applications using awesome technologies like Angular, Node, and ASP.NET. David enjoys spending time with his family, playing guitar, running, and continuously learning new tech. You can follow him on his site https://essenceofcode.com or on Twitter @_davidbwilson (https://twitter.com/_davidbwilson).