Offline Camp

What do you find interesting about the concept of Offline First?

I’m fascinated by building apps that do not depend on an internet connectivity since I’ve build minutes.io in 2012. Initially I was interested in the technical aspect of it, but once I got it worked I realized that the much bigger challenge is the user experience. We need to create UX conventions for things like sync, connectivity and session status.

I also love the new possibilities that Offline First brings. If an app works offline, visitors can jump right in and try it, a sign up can happen later, as all data is stored on the device. Another side effect is that for Offline First, we need to push most of the application logic to the clients, the backends become very thin data & authentication hub. This makes them a replaceable commodity – a precondition for a more decentralized web.

What motivated you to organize Offline Camp?

We observe a growing interest in the topic. Lately the push of Progressive Web Apps sparks the interest to an even wider audience. There have been many talks at meetups and conferences related to Offline First in the past—we thought it was about time to give it a dedicated space, to start a community movement around it.

Who are you looking forward to meeting at Offline Camp, and why?

I know many of the attendees, some of which I haven’t met yet or haven’t seen for a long time, so I’m very excited. But in general, I will go with an open mind and am interested to meet and talk to every single person at the event :)

What do you hope to be an outcome of Offline Camp?

I hope that at the end of the event, we have a common understanding of what Offline First means beyond the technical perspective, about it’s challenges and opportunities. I hope we made new friends and meaningful relationships, sparked new collaborations and the motivation to take more ownership of Offline First, to make it a more collaborative movement.

Can you describe what Offline First means to you in a sentence?

Offline First extends the promise of the internet to our devices and makes it work for everyone, everywhere.