diff --git a/blog/xesite-app-stores-2021-06-26.markdown b/blog/xesite-app-stores-2021-06-26.markdown new file mode 100644 index 0000000..5be614d --- /dev/null +++ b/blog/xesite-app-stores-2021-06-26.markdown @@ -0,0 +1,62 @@ +--- +title: "christine.website is now on the Microsoft Store" +date: 2021-06-26 +author: sephiraloveboo +tags: + - release + - Windows11 +--- + +# christine.website is now on the Microsoft Store + +This website has been a progressive web app [for a long +time](https://christine.website/blog/progressive-webapp-conversion-2019-01-26). +This means that you can install my blog to your phone as if it was a normal app +via the share menu in Safari on iOS or via other native prompts on other +browsers. However, this is not enough. In the constant pursuit of advancement I +have found a way to make this an even more seamless user experience. I have +released this website on the Microsoft store and you can download it +[here](https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/p/christinewebsite/9nn7zx20jl85?activetab=pivot:overviewtab). + +> Science isn't about *why* - it's about *why not*. *Why* is so much of our +> science dangerous? Why not *marry* safe science if you love it so much? In +> fact, why not invent a special safety door that won't hit you in the butt on +> the way out, because *you are fired!* Not you, test subject. You're doing +> fine. + +- Cave Johnson, Portal 2 + +This will allow me to experiment with push notifications in the future. People +have asked for a way to be notified of new posts to my blog and I want to +experiment with push notifications using service workers. It may be a while +until I end up getting to a point where I can do that, but I want to start +laying the ground work for fully native integration on your machines. + +As for why I'm doing this, that's a good question. Microsoft said that Windows +11 was an open platform, and if it really is an open platform then they'll allow +anyone to publish things to their store. I was able to get my existing website +to be published as an app and I will probably use that model going forward with +other projects in the future. I've also started the process of getting [Mara: +Sh0rk of Justice](https://xe.github.io/mara-sh0rk-of-justice/) published in a +similar way. + +I have also been prototyping an Android app that is currently in review on the +Google Play store, but if you want to test drive it now, you can download the +APK +[here](https://cdn.christine.website/file/christine-static/apk/christine.website-1.0.3.1-1.apk). +It is currently just a webview pointing to my website and that's all it really +needs to be. The rest of the magic will happen in the background after you +explicitly opt-in to push notifications or whatever once I figure out how to do +that with a server written in Rust. I may have to cave and write the push +notification server pusher part in Node or something, I don't really know for +sure yet. + +I am working on making the code for the Android app open source and will post it +[here](https://github.com/Xe/xesite_android) once I figure out all of the files +I need to gitignore properly. + +Until then, enjoy a taste of the future! I will look into making this work on +iOS and macOS, but those require a few more steps that are really annoying due +to my Apple developer account being in an odd state due to me being an ex-pat. +Apparently they won't let you use a Canadian address to pay for things with a US +account. Annoying.