6 ms·

is this a potential electron competitor/alternative? Edit: Electron really needs a competitor/alternative

by Zekio 9y ago

rhelmer 9y ago
Not exactly, but there was an Electron-compatible prototype for a bit, called Positron. Myk wrote about taht as well: https://mykzilla.org/2017/03/08/positron-discontinued/ https://mykzilla.org/2017/03/08/positron-discontinued/
- rhelmer 9y ago
  Well on second thought I guess qbrt is more or less trying to solve the same problem as Electron, without being compatible as it is "simplifying the process of developing and packaging a desktop app using web technologies."
jancsika 9y ago
There is nw.js: https://nwjs.io/ https://nwjs.io/ I used it to port a frontend for an application that requires multiple toplevel windows and found its API way easier for that particular problem. Edit: also a rather informative statement by the author on the relationship between nw.js (which used to be node-webkit) and Electron: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/nwjs-general/LIrC7zHtQdo https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/nwjs-general/LIrC7zH...
- pupdogg 9y ago
  +1 for nw.js...Electron is just a bloated version of nw.js
  - roryisok 9y ago
    Actually I tested both with a hello world app just this week and nw.js used more RAM than electron
    - yunyu 9y ago
      Electron apps display misleading RAM statistics in Task Manager, at least on Windows. There are multiple content processes that you have to compare paths to find.
c-smile 9y ago
> Electron really needs a competitor/alternative http://sciter.com http://sciter.com - single dll/so of 5mb - embeddable HTML/CSS engine designed specifically for running desktop UIs.
- roryisok 9y ago
  Never heard of this. I wonder why it's not more popular?
  - zem 9y ago
    not open source, for one. looks interesting, and it might be a pragmatic choice if you're a company developing a desktop app, but for a hobbyist programmer i see no real appeal in a closed source framework.
  - robxu9 9y ago
    Probably licensing + pricing.
  - voltagex_ 9y ago
    https://sciter.com/prices/ https://sciter.com/prices/. It has a free binary-only tier. Not entirely sure what the restrictions are. I also don't quite get their renewal pricing - it's not cheap at all.
roryisok 9y ago
There's a little known Microsoft framework that allows html and JavaScript to be compiled into an exe using ie, but its so obscure I couldn't find it after five minutes of googling. And obviously it's not cross platform.
- ZenoArrow 9y ago
  HTA? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTML_Application https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTML_Application
  - roryisok 9y ago
    That's it, thanks.
- pjmlp 9y ago
  Maybe Microsoft should re-market it to the Electron generation, and eventually bring back Active Desktop as well. You cannot find much about it, because it was an IE 6.0 based technology, when "Electron apps" were the IE ActiveX engine bundled as .exe.
  - roryisok 9y ago
    I actually liked active Desktop. You could have animated wallpapers and system information embedded on your Desktop back in windows 98, it was a shame it got removed. Nowadays you have to use rain meter if you want to do any of that stuff
pjmlp 9y ago
It is called Qt, wxWidgets, JavaFX, Xamarin.Forms,....
- roryisok 9y ago
  You forgot GTK. I think he meant that electron had dominated the JavaScript-on-the-desktop scene
amiga-workbench 9y ago
The alternative is real, native software. Sadly the MacBook touting webdevs will need to go and learn a proper programming language.
- roryisok 9y ago
  > Macbook touting webdevs I'm a web dev but I don't have a MacBook. Does that make me better or worse? Also tell me more about your Amiga Edit: I realise that probably looked like I was having a go, but I was actually trying to diffuse the argument. I'm genuinely interested in the Amiga, if you have one. Do you use it for work?

is this a potential electron competitor/alternative? Edit: Electron really needs a competitor/alternative

by Zekio 9y ago

is this a potential electron competitor/alternative? Edit: Electron really needs a competitor/alternative

Not exactly, but there was an Electron-compatible prototype for a bit, called Positron. Myk wrote about taht as well: https://mykzilla.org/2017/03/08/positron-discontinued/ https://mykzilla.org/2017/03/08/positron-discontinued/

rhelmer 9y ago
Well on second thought I guess qbrt is more or less trying to solve the same problem as Electron, without being compatible as it is "simplifying the process of developing and packaging a desktop app using web technologies."

jancsika 9y ago

There is nw.js: https://nwjs.io/ https://nwjs.io/ I used it to port a frontend for an application that requires multiple toplevel windows and found its API way easier for that particular problem. Edit: also a rather informative statement by the author on the relationship between nw.js (which used to be node-webkit) and Electron: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/nwjs-general/LIrC7zHtQdo https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/nwjs-general/LIrC7zH...

pupdogg 9y ago
+1 for nw.js...Electron is just a bloated version of nw.js
- roryisok 9y ago
  Actually I tested both with a hello world app just this week and nw.js used more RAM than electron
  - yunyu 9y ago
    Electron apps display misleading RAM statistics in Task Manager, at least on Windows. There are multiple content processes that you have to compare paths to find.

c-smile 9y ago

> Electron really needs a competitor/alternative http://sciter.com http://sciter.com - single dll/so of 5mb - embeddable HTML/CSS engine designed specifically for running desktop UIs.

roryisok 9y ago
Never heard of this. I wonder why it's not more popular?
- zem 9y ago
  not open source, for one. looks interesting, and it might be a pragmatic choice if you're a company developing a desktop app, but for a hobbyist programmer i see no real appeal in a closed source framework.
- robxu9 9y ago
  Probably licensing + pricing.
- voltagex_ 9y ago
  https://sciter.com/prices/ https://sciter.com/prices/. It has a free binary-only tier. Not entirely sure what the restrictions are. I also don't quite get their renewal pricing - it's not cheap at all.

roryisok 9y ago

There's a little known Microsoft framework that allows html and JavaScript to be compiled into an exe using ie, but its so obscure I couldn't find it after five minutes of googling. And obviously it's not cross platform.

ZenoArrow 9y ago
HTA? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTML_Application https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTML_Application
- roryisok 9y ago
  That's it, thanks.
pjmlp 9y ago
Maybe Microsoft should re-market it to the Electron generation, and eventually bring back Active Desktop as well. You cannot find much about it, because it was an IE 6.0 based technology, when "Electron apps" were the IE ActiveX engine bundled as .exe.
- roryisok 9y ago
  I actually liked active Desktop. You could have animated wallpapers and system information embedded on your Desktop back in windows 98, it was a shame it got removed. Nowadays you have to use rain meter if you want to do any of that stuff

pjmlp 9y ago

It is called Qt, wxWidgets, JavaFX, Xamarin.Forms,....

roryisok 9y ago
You forgot GTK. I think he meant that electron had dominated the JavaScript-on-the-desktop scene

amiga-workbench 9y ago

The alternative is real, native software. Sadly the MacBook touting webdevs will need to go and learn a proper programming language.

roryisok 9y ago
> Macbook touting webdevs I'm a web dev but I don't have a MacBook. Does that make me better or worse? Also tell me more about your Amiga Edit: I realise that probably looked like I was having a go, but I was actually trying to diffuse the argument. I'm genuinely interested in the Amiga, if you have one. Do you use it for work?