Progressive Web App

    This year, Chris, his colleague David, and a team of students have been busy developing a new output format from Scripture App Builder which will expand the reach of Bible apps. This new format is a Progressive Web App (PWA) which is a website that can be used in a web browser or downloaded to a device and used when not connected to the Internet.
    Currently, users of SAB can create Android and iOS apps. We have been receiving feedback from users that they want to be able to just use the web browser on their phone or their desktop computer without having to install the app. One pastor in Thailand had an iPhone, but it was set up by a family member and they didn’t have the App Store password so they couldn’t install the app. One user didn’t have room on their phone for the app and just wanted to use the web browser to view a few chapters at a time. Other users in sensitive areas have their phones regularly scanned at checkpoints and it isn’t safe to install the app. Another user wanted to display the scripture on a projector using a desktop during a worship service and play the audio and have the text highlighted on the screen while listening.
    We have researched this in the past, but have not found the right set of software tools to make it possible. At the beginning of 2022, we found a library that would handle the Scripture processing. This past summer, we had an intern from Liberty University and Micah Henny, a friend from our sending church, work with us on developing a proof-of-concept to see if it was possible. We were able to create a viable PWA template that could be used with SAB to generate contextualized PWAs.
    In the fall, Chris and David worked with two separate senior capstone teams (from Gordon College and California Baptist University) to continue the work on the PWA template. The goal is to make a beta release available later this month at the EMDC conference.
    Last year’s student from Liberty University suggested that Chris work with Liberty on senior capstone projects as well. When Chris went to visit the school last month, we were able to talk to all the juniors studying Computer Science. From that presentation, three students have accepted unpaid internships for this summer and will be working with Chris and David on finishing the PWA template. Please pray for team to work well together, learn, and complete the work remaining.