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Electron is the new flash. While the things built with Electron may be really great apps, we don't need a full browser running for each application instance ea

Electron is the new flash. While the things built with Electron may be really great apps, we don't need a full browser running for each application instance eating CPU cycles when the applications are not doing anything except sitting idle. Just write desktop applications if you want a desktop app. If you want a website in HTML/CSS/Javascript then write a website. Can we please stop trying to jam square pegs in round holes???????

nodomain 9y ago
Also keep in mind that CPU cycles relate to battery consumption which is also a very important thing to respect. Ever looked at the OSX energy monitor what all those neat Chrome runtimes consume?
allover 9y ago
> Just write desktop applications if you want a desktop app. Yeah ... you 'just' need 3 teams, or you 'just' need to use Qt, which doesn't exactly seem to have 'caught on', and has a piddly community compared to the web & Node communities. > Just write desktop applications if you want a desktop app. If you want a website in HTML/CSS/Javascript then write a website. Not sure if you're being intentionally obtuse, it's clearly not that simple.
- AstralStorm 9y ago
  Electron itself hasn't really caught on either and is the newer technology. Comparing it to web communities is disingenuous. Heck, Node.js deployments have their share of horrors. Especially if your goal is to have a native app experience and not a website in an app. Electron does not really deliver that.
  - allover 9y ago
    Slack, Hipchat, Spotify, Whatsapp, Gitkraken, VS Code, Nylas, ... I'd say it's caught on. Only Qt app I'm aware I ever use is VirtualBox? > Comparing it to web communities is disingenuous. How? You use web technologies to built Electron apps. The strength of those communities is a big win. > Heck, Node.js deployments have their share of horrors. It also has its share of successes, just like any lang/community. Not a useful generalisation. > Especially if your goal is to have a native app experience and not a website in an app. FUD. People overstate the 'native experience' argument. Real users don't give a crap, there are tons of apps, even built with 'native' tech that feel unlike any other app. If I ask an average user the difference between Whatsapp/Spotify vs some native apps, are they really going to say 'Whatsapp/Spotify don't feel native'? None of the apps I listed feel like 'a website in an app'. That's a huge exaggeration.
    - bwat49 9y ago
      > I'd say it's caught on. Only Qt app I'm aware I ever use is VirtualBox? VLC, Origin, Battle.net, Google Earth, TeamViewer, TeamSpeak, Telegram, Malwarebytes?
leppr 9y ago
> Electron is the new flash. All the contrary. Electron requires a minimal amount of Electron-specific code and its API is open-source, not proprietary. Once a new and better webapp-on-the-desktop framework is built, it's going to be easy to migrate to it. Yes, from a user PoV the solution isn't optimal, but from a developer, maintainability, lock-in and future-proofeness PoV it's not even remotely comparable to Flash.

nodomain 9y ago

Also keep in mind that CPU cycles relate to battery consumption which is also a very important thing to respect. Ever looked at the OSX energy monitor what all those neat Chrome runtimes consume?

allover 9y ago

> Just write desktop applications if you want a desktop app. Yeah ... you 'just' need 3 teams, or you 'just' need to use Qt, which doesn't exactly seem to have 'caught on', and has a piddly community compared to the web & Node communities. > Just write desktop applications if you want a desktop app. If you want a website in HTML/CSS/Javascript then write a website. Not sure if you're being intentionally obtuse, it's clearly not that simple.

AstralStorm 9y ago
Electron itself hasn't really caught on either and is the newer technology. Comparing it to web communities is disingenuous. Heck, Node.js deployments have their share of horrors. Especially if your goal is to have a native app experience and not a website in an app. Electron does not really deliver that.
- allover 9y ago
  Slack, Hipchat, Spotify, Whatsapp, Gitkraken, VS Code, Nylas, ... I'd say it's caught on. Only Qt app I'm aware I ever use is VirtualBox? > Comparing it to web communities is disingenuous. How? You use web technologies to built Electron apps. The strength of those communities is a big win. > Heck, Node.js deployments have their share of horrors. It also has its share of successes, just like any lang/community. Not a useful generalisation. > Especially if your goal is to have a native app experience and not a website in an app. FUD. People overstate the 'native experience' argument. Real users don't give a crap, there are tons of apps, even built with 'native' tech that feel unlike any other app. If I ask an average user the difference between Whatsapp/Spotify vs some native apps, are they really going to say 'Whatsapp/Spotify don't feel native'? None of the apps I listed feel like 'a website in an app'. That's a huge exaggeration.
  - bwat49 9y ago
    > I'd say it's caught on. Only Qt app I'm aware I ever use is VirtualBox? VLC, Origin, Battle.net, Google Earth, TeamViewer, TeamSpeak, Telegram, Malwarebytes?

leppr 9y ago

> Electron is the new flash. All the contrary. Electron requires a minimal amount of Electron-specific code and its API is open-source, not proprietary. Once a new and better webapp-on-the-desktop framework is built, it's going to be easy to migrate to it. Yes, from a user PoV the solution isn't optimal, but from a developer, maintainability, lock-in and future-proofeness PoV it's not even remotely comparable to Flash.