The key differences between Electron and Applets are: 1) Java applets were awful to use in the browser 2) The DOM is the most advanced and flexible (and, yes,

The key differences between Electron and Applets are: 1) Java applets were awful to use in the browser 2) The DOM is the most advanced and flexible (and, yes, resource-hungry) UI layout system ever created. Seriously. Swing didn't come close in terms of the sheer breadth of possible interfaces one could create.