Is a 2gb packaged (pure html5, css3, and javascript) chrome app reasonably possible?

Question

I was looking at the size limit on chrome packaged apps that are hosted on the chrome web store and I noticed that they will host a maximum app size of 2gb. So my question is if I hypothetically were to set out to make a 2gb pure html5, css3, and javascript chrome web app would I be able to achieve such a thing in a reasonable amount of time? Also would performance degrade on such a large app because of size alone?

In reality has there been any successful(as in reasonably functionable) case(s) of such a large chrome web app?

I am asking this question for two reasons:

1. I am trying to understand the reasonability/practicality/achievability of the 2gb packaged app size limit in the chrome web store. In relationship to web based technologies(html5, css3, and javascript) of course.
2. I am curious as to whether or not a chrome web apps performance degrades at such large sizes.

I do indeed have a decent amount of experience in html5, css3, javascript, and chrome apps.

What I want to do is evaluate the possibility of a large scale desktop style application as a chrome app. Using web based technologies of course.

Answer 1

Think of a non-trivial game. There are pure HTML5/JS/WebGL implementations of rather beefy game engines, Unreal Engine being the prime example, or upcoming Unity releases (example).

An app using that can easily have 2Gb of packaged resources: textures, models, sounds, maps, etc.

The rationale behind the limit is to ensure Google's CDN is not overloaded with apps that are "too large" for a browser-based app, I suppose. But this is speculation (as is most of this question).

Answer 2

I have been looking around and considering all the other answers and I have made a list of pros and cons of making a 2gb Chrome app for future viewers to consider:

Cons:

• Download times would be very long on most internet connections.
• Chrome Sync would take a very long time to sync such a large app.
• If the user is on a limited data plan then 2gb would be in most cases undesirable.
• The app would be undesirable on devices with limited space like chromebooks.

Pros:

• Lots of content.
• Higher quality as better quality images and media may be used.
• Can use larger game engines(Must be csp compliant).

Fixes and or workarounds for cons:

• For download optimization try using html5 filesystem.
  • tip: do not bundle resources, but offer to download them after the app is installed.
• Use optimized resources, texture, sounds, images, etc.
• Optimize code to the fullest of your ability.
• Use compressed js libraries.

Although a 2gb chrome app is possible it would most likely not be very reasonable(At least to the user).

After extensive reading and researching my personal choice in regards to chrome apps is to keep them as small as they can be without degrading quality and or usability.

Answer 3

While such a large application is feasible the user experience will be sub-par because of the long initial download time. Large Android apps have the same issue and are allowed to include an extra "data bundle" that is optional and downloaded after the app installed. For Chrome Apps I suggest using the HTML5 virtual filesystem to cache resources on demand. Chrome Apps are allowed unlimited storage through this API and this will allow you greater control over how much and when data is downloaded.