Web Technology Trends in 2022: PWAs, Browsers as OS, Cloud Access

There’s more to web developments than just blockchain, chatbots, voice search and other stuff everybody is chattering about. I had a chance to talk to Uladzimir Yankovich, founder of Manganum, a productivity extension for Chrome. And here’s what else is going on on the web right now.

What are the most important trends in web technology today?

A few years ago, Google started to popularize the concept of Progressive Web Apps (PWAs). Simply put, PWAs are websites built with the most advanced web technology to provide their visitors with a user experience comparable to using desktop or mobile applications.

In fact, this has been the main trend in web technology in recent years—getting as close to desktop software as possible. A great example is Adobe's project to make Photoshop a web application. And I have to say, it looks amazing: the once cumbersome application that you had to first download, install, and run as a desktop application now just opens up like a website in your browser's tab.

But even more interesting is another trend that has emerged through the development of PWA: browser as an operating system (OS). After all, what is an OS? This is a platform for running applications, and if applications now run in a browser, why do I need an OS? My browser can take over its functions.

It's no coincidence that in 2020, ChromeOS overtook macOS in terms of market share and became the world's second-largest OS:

Do browser developers have a chance then to really compete with Chrome?

In my view, only a corporation comparable with Google can do that. Browser development and promotion are very expensive. It is not for nothing that browser competition is called a war. So far, Chrome is the obvious winner on this battlefield. All the attempts of smaller teams to oppose it have been failing and at best these browsers are simply present with only few users. Edge from Microsoft and Safari from Apple feel much better. No doubt they are significant players in the browser market, but I can't imagine that one of them would suddenly swap shares with Chrome.

However, local players also have their own success stories. The most recent is the corporate browser Island, which attracted $115 million one week after its launch. Another example is Yandex.Browser, which has a 30% market share in its home region. But I don’t think we can talk about it as a global Chrome’s competitor.

Despite the incredible complexity of the task, every year several startups try to challenge Chrome. Here are just a few examples: Stack Browser, Sidekick, SigmaOS, The Browser, etc. And while they all do a tremendous amount of work on their products, they lack the resources to achieve massive adoption. Unfortunately for them, users are too inert and find migrating from one browser to another just too weary. 

I am sincerely glad that all these browsers are emerging, and I wish them good luck. I am also sure they all contribute a lot to Chromium and make Chrome evolve. That said, I don't really believe they will be as successful.

Why do you think Chrome is so popular? Would you recommend using Chrome in 2022?

In 2008, when Chrome was launched, it was by far the best browser on the market, fast and convenient. Add to that the Google's distribution powers and over the next few years, we have the #1 browser in the world.

Today, Chrome is still the most popular browser in the world. It’s safe, fast, and familiar to millions of users. But is Chrome the best browser? 

Well, there is no objective answer. Browsers are now rapidly transforming from simple applications for surfing the Internet to full-fledged operating systems. With these new-generation browsers, we don't need a separate tool to work with documents, edit photos and videos, or engage in video conferencing. 

So it turns out that comparing browsers by their page-loading speed or memory usage, as we used to do, is no longer as meaningful. What matters more is how well the browser helps you manage your everyday tasks, and whether it makes you more productive. This, of course, is very individual. And while Chrome is still the most popular browser on the market, there are dozens of other options. Some of them are definitely worth looking at.

For example, if privacy is important to you, you would probably choose Firefox or DuckDuckGo. If you wish to fully customize the browser, Vivaldi is the right choice. If you are a Web3 fan and use cryptocurrencies, then choose Brave. For productivity geeks, I’d recommend considering Sidekick which turns your browser into a multifunctional workspace. Besides, there are a few solutions being developed right now that might be of interest, such as The browser, MightyApp, and Synth (a dedicated browser for research.)

So is Chrome going to yield the pas any time soon?

No, I don’t think so. Chrome is still the favorite browser for millions of users. I personally adore Chrome. Besides, I feel comfortable entrusting all my data to Google. And since I also use Google Workspace products for work, the browser choice for me is obvious. But at the same time, I genuinely admire some features of Vivaldi or Sidekick.

But do we really have to choose between the good old Chrome and modern multifunctional browsers from young and daring teams? I don’t like this dilemma, so I decided to try to solve it by developing my own solution. This is how Manganum was born, a browser extension that completely changes the Chrome new tab, and adds a sidebar with a set of productivity applications, such as bookmarks, calendar, tasks, notes, and even a translator. 

How do you view further development of the industry? What ideas, applications, or technologies should we be aware of?

I believe we will continue to see the migration of desktop applications to the web, with the browser increasingly replacing our OS.

Apart from that, I am watching with interest the development of the cloud access industry. So far, we have seen the rapid development of cloud gaming services, such as Nvidia’s GeForce Now. But it is easy to imagine how these technologies will change the world of browsers. Just look at this Mighty browser.