What is "Green IT"

"Green IT" (also known as "green computing") is a term used to describe the practice of designing, manufacturing, using, and disposing of computers, servers, and associated subsystems—such as monitors and printers—in an environmentally-friendly manner. It involves the use of environmentally sustainable computing resources in order to reduce the environmental impact of IT operations.

Green IT practices include energy-efficient computing, the use of renewable energy sources, the reduction of electronic waste, and the use of environmentally-friendly materials in the manufacture of IT equipment. It also includes the use of virtualisation, cloud computing and remote working to reduce the energy consumption of IT systems, and the use of teleconferencing to reduce travel.

Green IT is an important concept in today's world as technology continues to play a larger role in our lives and the environmental impact of IT operations become more significant. It aims to reduce the environmental impact of IT operations and promote sustainable business practices. Companies and organisations are adopting green IT strategies to reduce their environmental footprint, lower their energy costs, and improve their reputation with customers, partners, and other stakeholders. Additionally, governments and international organisations are also promoting green IT as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote sustainable development.

Progressive web apps (PWA)

Progressive web apps, or PWAs, are a hot topic in the world of web development. As a technical lead, I've been keeping a close eye on this technology and I believe it is poised to revolutionise the way we think about web apps.

At their core, PWAs are web apps that use modern web technologies to deliver a app-like experience to users. They are built with standard web technologies such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, but have some key differences that set them apart from traditional web apps.

One of the biggest benefits of PWAs is that they can be accessed directly from a user's browser, without the need for them to download and install an app from an app store. This means that users can start using a PWA immediately, without any friction. PWAs also work offline, allowing users to continue to use the app even when they don't have an internet connection. This is achieved by caching the app's assets and data on the user's device, so that they are still available even when the user is offline.

Another benefit of PWAs is that they are much more responsive than traditional web apps. PWAs are designed to be fast and smooth, even on low-end devices or slow internet connections. This is achieved by using techniques such as lazy loading and code splitting, which help to minimise the amount of data that needs to be downloaded and reduce the amount of processing required to render the app.

As a technical lead, one of the things that excites me most about PWAs is the potential for increased engagement and conversion rates. PWAs can be designed to look and feel just like native apps, which means that users are more likely to engage with them and complete desired actions. PWAs can also be integrated with push notifications and other features that are typically only available to native apps, which can help to increase engagement and conversion rates even further.

Another great feature of PWAs is that they are easily discoverable by search engines, and they are indexed by the search engine, which means they can be found by users and they can increase the visibility of the website.

From a technical perspective, developing a PWA involves a few key steps. First, you need to create a web app that is optimized for performance and user experience. This typically involves using modern web technologies such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and following best practices for web development.

Next, you need to configure your web app to work offline. This typically involves using a service worker, which is a script that runs in the background and handles caching and other offline-related tasks.

Finally, you need to make your web app installable. This typically involves creating a manifest file, which contains metadata about your app, such as its name, icons, and start URL.

In conclusion, PWAs are a powerful new technology that has the potential to revolutionise the way we think about web apps. As a technical lead, I believe that PWAs are well worth investing in and I look forward to seeing how they continue to evolve in the coming years.