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Semi-related: this survey was announced alongside 1Password 8 for Windows early access. Apparently 1Password 8 for Windows uses Electron and there was some disc

Semi-related: this survey was announced alongside 1Password 8 for Windows early access. Apparently 1Password 8 for Windows uses Electron and there was some discussion about AgileBits wanting to move to the same architecture on all platforms. Does anyone know if 1Password 8 on macOS will also be an Electron app? Their Linux Electron app is pretty good and definitely much better than having no 1Password at all. However, this would be a sad ending for what started out as a great, efficient, native Mac-only application. I can understand why AgileBits would make this choice. For most users, Electron is probably not a big issue, if they'd notice at all. But as someone who loves native macOS apps, it just makes me sad.

throwaway46294 5y ago
I have heard that Linux was the start, Windows is the next one to get the Electron treatment, and Mac is next.
- dijit 5y ago
  But the linux 1Password program is "electron" in name only; it's actually some kind of Rust program; I'm not 100% sure how it works but it's definitely compiled with cargo.
  - soziawa 5y ago
    What does Electron in name only mean? Either electron is included or it isn't. Whether you are using Rust through native bindings or through WebAssembly does not really matter does it?
    - dijit 5y ago
      90% of the functionality is written in rust components and the UI is a very slim wrapper around those APIs; it seems. And even then it looks like the JS is WASM compiled from rust. It’s not implemented in JavaScript/typescript is what I mean. As such it seems to be lean on my system.
      - mpalmer 5y ago
        If it is Electron, I don't think you can credibly call an entire Chromium instance a "very slim wrapper".
        selfup 5y ago
        There's a chance it's using Tauri (rust) https://tauri.studio/en/ https://tauri.studio/en/ if it's truly not using Electron but a similar concept. However WASM builds in Electron would make more sense if they use the term Electron.
        aniforprez 5y ago
        Link below to the behind-the-scenes article. I have no experience using the Linux app so I'm not sure of the performance but a lot of the core seems to be written in Rust compiled to WASM which is the way it's now being done for their browser extension. Personally everyone keeps cribbing about electron but I hope 1Password has found a way to make good on performance https://dteare.medium.com/behind-the-scenes-of-1password-for-linux-d59b19143a23 https://dteare.medium.com/behind-the-scenes-of-1password-for...
        danieldk 5y ago
        No, it's definitely regular Electron: % tar ztf 1password-latest.tar.gz | grep "chrome" 1password-8.1.1.x64/chrome-sandbox 1password-8.1.1.x64/chrome_100_percent.pak 1password-8.1.1.x64/chrome_200_percent.pak
        deleted 5y ago
        [deleted]
        dijit 5y ago
        yeah I'm aware it contains chrome, I mentioned that much of the functionality has been moved out and is actually implemented in rust, this is verifiable simply by running `1password --log trace` EDIT: 168MiB resident memory on my system (just checked). Though it malloc'd (but never used) 32G, that's worrying.
tailspin2019 5y ago
This would be a real shame. My only complaint about 1Password is occasional performance blips and slowdowns. Which seem to have been getting worse over time (along with unreliable browser integration). I can’t see how moving to electron on Mac would help that…
aikinai 5y ago
Thanks for the warning about this. I was already disappointed in the direction 1Password has been taking, and moving to Electron would certainly be the last straw. It’s totally reasonable that they want to cheap out on the actual software and expand their business into more lucrative services, but it’s not what I personally want in a password manager. So hopefully someone else, maybe a lone develop that doesn’t need perpetual growth, will make a good, standalone, native Mac password manager. Keychain itself is getting better and more fleshed out UX, but it’s still not flexible enough to trust for everything unfortunately.
- latexr 5y ago
  > So hopefully someone else, maybe a lone develop that doesn’t need perpetual growth, will make a good, standalone, native Mac password manager. You may wish to look into Secrets: https://outercorner.com/secrets-mac/ https://outercorner.com/secrets-mac/
  - aikinai 5y ago
    Thank you so much for this recommendation! This looks like exactly what I hoped existed, basically 1Password without all of the striving to be more than an app. Also, I already have a SetApp subscription so the desktop version is effectively free.
  - 8fingerlouie 5y ago
    I wasn't aware of Secrets. I will certainly look into it. It appears to check all the boxes that 1Password used to check.
- jeromegv 5y ago
  Looks like you’re looking for a reason but none of that was announced or even hinted as happening on macOS. They have one of the best Mac native app, I doubt it’s part of their plan.
  - aikinai 5y ago
    Before this thread, I never considered they might deprecate the native app, but there seemed to be a lot of premonition here that it’s on the horizon. I wasn’t actively looking to find a replacement, but I was certainly not happy to see them taking venture funding. That’s great in some contexts, but explicit pressure to grow revenue enough to support 500 people and pay back a bunch of venture capitalists isn’t very conducive to writing quality software.
gumby 5y ago
One reason I use 1Password is because it’s a native app. Electron apps never have the affordances of the platform, so are frustrating to use whenever you leave the “happy path”. Because it’s so heavily used this would be a reason to leave it. Separately, Electron is itself a large piece of code and integrating it would increase the attack surface — of a piece of security code! Another good reason to switch if this comes to pass.
- another_kel 5y ago
  To be fair: 1password native app on windows was horrible and felt 3 times slower than 8.0(electron) beta.
- mekster 5y ago
  > Electron is itself a large piece of code and integrating it would increase the attack surface At the same time, the most audited code it there. Maybe you don't use a GUI browser.
_moof 5y ago
Good lord, it's like they're trying to ruin it.
rcarmo 5y ago
Well, if 1Password switches to Electron on the Mac, then I’m not moving away from 1Password 6…
ahmedalsudani 5y ago
Ugh. Guess it will be time to switch password managers again.

throwaway46294 5y ago

I have heard that Linux was the start, Windows is the next one to get the Electron treatment, and Mac is next.

dijit 5y ago
But the linux 1Password program is "electron" in name only; it's actually some kind of Rust program; I'm not 100% sure how it works but it's definitely compiled with cargo.
- soziawa 5y ago
  What does Electron in name only mean? Either electron is included or it isn't. Whether you are using Rust through native bindings or through WebAssembly does not really matter does it?
  - dijit 5y ago
    90% of the functionality is written in rust components and the UI is a very slim wrapper around those APIs; it seems. And even then it looks like the JS is WASM compiled from rust. It’s not implemented in JavaScript/typescript is what I mean. As such it seems to be lean on my system.
    - mpalmer 5y ago
      If it is Electron, I don't think you can credibly call an entire Chromium instance a "very slim wrapper".
      - selfup 5y ago
        There's a chance it's using Tauri (rust) https://tauri.studio/en/ https://tauri.studio/en/ if it's truly not using Electron but a similar concept. However WASM builds in Electron would make more sense if they use the term Electron.
        aniforprez 5y ago
        Link below to the behind-the-scenes article. I have no experience using the Linux app so I'm not sure of the performance but a lot of the core seems to be written in Rust compiled to WASM which is the way it's now being done for their browser extension. Personally everyone keeps cribbing about electron but I hope 1Password has found a way to make good on performance https://dteare.medium.com/behind-the-scenes-of-1password-for-linux-d59b19143a23 https://dteare.medium.com/behind-the-scenes-of-1password-for...
        danieldk 5y ago
        No, it's definitely regular Electron: % tar ztf 1password-latest.tar.gz | grep "chrome" 1password-8.1.1.x64/chrome-sandbox 1password-8.1.1.x64/chrome_100_percent.pak 1password-8.1.1.x64/chrome_200_percent.pak
        deleted 5y ago
        [deleted]
        dijit 5y ago
        yeah I'm aware it contains chrome, I mentioned that much of the functionality has been moved out and is actually implemented in rust, this is verifiable simply by running `1password --log trace` EDIT: 168MiB resident memory on my system (just checked). Though it malloc'd (but never used) 32G, that's worrying.

tailspin2019 5y ago

This would be a real shame. My only complaint about 1Password is occasional performance blips and slowdowns. Which seem to have been getting worse over time (along with unreliable browser integration). I can’t see how moving to electron on Mac would help that…

aikinai 5y ago

Thanks for the warning about this. I was already disappointed in the direction 1Password has been taking, and moving to Electron would certainly be the last straw. It’s totally reasonable that they want to cheap out on the actual software and expand their business into more lucrative services, but it’s not what I personally want in a password manager. So hopefully someone else, maybe a lone develop that doesn’t need perpetual growth, will make a good, standalone, native Mac password manager. Keychain itself is getting better and more fleshed out UX, but it’s still not flexible enough to trust for everything unfortunately.

latexr 5y ago
> So hopefully someone else, maybe a lone develop that doesn’t need perpetual growth, will make a good, standalone, native Mac password manager. You may wish to look into Secrets: https://outercorner.com/secrets-mac/ https://outercorner.com/secrets-mac/
- aikinai 5y ago
  Thank you so much for this recommendation! This looks like exactly what I hoped existed, basically 1Password without all of the striving to be more than an app. Also, I already have a SetApp subscription so the desktop version is effectively free.
- 8fingerlouie 5y ago
  I wasn't aware of Secrets. I will certainly look into it. It appears to check all the boxes that 1Password used to check.
jeromegv 5y ago
Looks like you’re looking for a reason but none of that was announced or even hinted as happening on macOS. They have one of the best Mac native app, I doubt it’s part of their plan.
- aikinai 5y ago
  Before this thread, I never considered they might deprecate the native app, but there seemed to be a lot of premonition here that it’s on the horizon. I wasn’t actively looking to find a replacement, but I was certainly not happy to see them taking venture funding. That’s great in some contexts, but explicit pressure to grow revenue enough to support 500 people and pay back a bunch of venture capitalists isn’t very conducive to writing quality software.

gumby 5y ago

One reason I use 1Password is because it’s a native app. Electron apps never have the affordances of the platform, so are frustrating to use whenever you leave the “happy path”. Because it’s so heavily used this would be a reason to leave it. Separately, Electron is itself a large piece of code and integrating it would increase the attack surface — of a piece of security code! Another good reason to switch if this comes to pass.

another_kel 5y ago
To be fair: 1password native app on windows was horrible and felt 3 times slower than 8.0(electron) beta.
mekster 5y ago
> Electron is itself a large piece of code and integrating it would increase the attack surface At the same time, the most audited code it there. Maybe you don't use a GUI browser.

_moof 5y ago

Good lord, it's like they're trying to ruin it.

rcarmo 5y ago

Well, if 1Password switches to Electron on the Mac, then I’m not moving away from 1Password 6…

ahmedalsudani 5y ago

Ugh. Guess it will be time to switch password managers again.