Ubuntu developers: Web Apps will be far from being simple web links

Days ago, the developers have introduced a new exciting project, Ubuntu Web Apps, that (work-in-progress) offers a new enhanced way of dealing with web apps, in the sense of adding desktop integration, such as automatic creation of launchers (.desktop files), easy possibility to launch web apps via the Dash, Messaging Menu integration (such as displaying one's GMail unread mail messages, etc), Sound Menu integration (like for instance, support to modify one's running last.fm track state from the Sound Menu), notifications, etc, basically, a concept (implemented in code) to make a web application look&feel native, furthermore, bringing the exciting ability to manage it as a regular desktop application.

While bearing a definitely positive feedback across the internets, there are users that, probably due to the freshness of the announcement, perceived the mentioned web apps as simplistic web links, claiming an "old" (at-the-moment, there are various possibilities to create a web "app"/link in Chromium, Epiphany Web-browser, etc) feature rebranded as new.

Ubuntu's Christian Giordano explains the web app concepts and goals, as related to why (the web is "a major component in how we relate to one another"), relevancy ("Facebook and your webmail [...etc] could (and should) be more integrated in your experience") and, finally, defining the solid near-future goal "it has been our priority, from UX perspective, to blur the line between native applications and web apps".

Ubuntu Web Apps are not oriented to become mere web links, "Web apps will be far from being simple web links", "in the coming months you will see how these will beautifully blend in the user app mental model".