Discourse App

(Not Weak) #1

Does anyone know if the Discourse app is available on Microsoft products? I have a Microsoft Surface and was hoping to download the app, but can’t seem to find it. TIA!

(Mark Anthony Spiteri) #2

I don’t believe it is. I think it’s only on iOS and android

(Not Weak) #3

Thank you! Just didn’t know if I wasn’t searching appropriately.

(Luke Jeffery) #4

Downloaded it for my android, but deleted it almost instantly. It’s just a browser which takes you straight to the sight. Better to add a book marl to your desktop/home screen. You’ll be missing nothing.

#5

I downloaded the iOS version and it is essentially just a wrapper for the browser too, but since I listen to @carl’s other podcast .NET Rocks, it seems to be an example of an app that’s in the process of making the transition to becoming a Progressive Web App (PWA) and does organize any/all forums based on Discourse into a single application.

Right now it may seem like a waste, but it’s a work-in-progress and appears to be the next big thing for cross-platform development.

(Mark Anthony Spiteri) #6

I like the app for notifications - for the rest I agree it’s just a browser

(Larry Lustig) #7

I believe it’s the mobile web site version of Discourse that is more like a PWA. At least, I assume the fact that I was promted to install a shortcut on my phone’s desktop indicates the presence of a manifest. Unfortunately, no offline reading yet. Don’t the authors ride the subway? @sam?

(Sam Saffron) #8

Well I do :slight_smile: since I recently moved to NY. We do plan to explore better offline support this year some time.

But our best way forward is to improve the web app and add service workers on android (maybe one day apple will also support this) and other features that unlock offline. That way we don’t force people to install an app to get the better experience.

That is the main reason I built it, the other big reason was to track multiple Discourse sites from one spot.