3 ms·

This sentiment is not popular with most Linux advocates, but I think that cross-platform toolkits are great for the less popular platforms, so they should be mo

This sentiment is not popular with most Linux advocates, but I think that cross-platform toolkits are great for the less popular platforms, so they should be more accepted. If you write a flutter app for Linux then it will also work everywhere else. If you write a flutter app for iOS/android - which is the most common scenario - then let's get you to tweak it for desktop Linux.

eduction 4y ago
Fully agree. I think this was also key to the macOS/OS X comeback but with web apps instead of the electron/flutter type stacks we have now. All those little specialized win32 apps for, like, dentists and accountants and navigation and filing expenses and so on moved to the web, which really eroded Windows’ lock in (obligatory citation of https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2004/06/13/how-microsoft-lost-the-api-war/ https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2004/06/13/how-microsoft-lost...). Electron and flutter type stacks have extended this trend I predict along the same lines a comeback for Java on the client. Java desktop apps used to feel heavy and awkward but these days they look downright svelte. No good mobile story - yet.
bitexploder 4y ago
I use many electron apps. i don’t like that they are electron, and they are more bloated than native. However, my laptop and desktop never come close to needing more RAM. Each app is basically just a heavy browser tab. The UX is acceptable. That is about it really.
- cultofmetatron 4y ago
  I have a ton of ram. the biggest issue I have with electron is that it sucks battery down. As cto of a startup, I fully understand the case for it. one codebase, less to maintain and easier to focus on pumping out features. That said, I wish slack would consider going all native for their desktop apps. Its a memory hog and for something that runs on my desktop all day, I would prefer if it sipped power and ran fast
  - bitexploder 4y ago
    Battery is a good point. I will run Slack in a browser tab if traveling. I use an actual desktop 90% of my time.

eduction 4y ago

Fully agree. I think this was also key to the macOS/OS X comeback but with web apps instead of the electron/flutter type stacks we have now. All those little specialized win32 apps for, like, dentists and accountants and navigation and filing expenses and so on moved to the web, which really eroded Windows’ lock in (obligatory citation of https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2004/06/13/how-microsoft-lost-the-api-war/ https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2004/06/13/how-microsoft-lost...). Electron and flutter type stacks have extended this trend I predict along the same lines a comeback for Java on the client. Java desktop apps used to feel heavy and awkward but these days they look downright svelte. No good mobile story - yet.

bitexploder 4y ago

I use many electron apps. i don’t like that they are electron, and they are more bloated than native. However, my laptop and desktop never come close to needing more RAM. Each app is basically just a heavy browser tab. The UX is acceptable. That is about it really.

cultofmetatron 4y ago
I have a ton of ram. the biggest issue I have with electron is that it sucks battery down. As cto of a startup, I fully understand the case for it. one codebase, less to maintain and easier to focus on pumping out features. That said, I wish slack would consider going all native for their desktop apps. Its a memory hog and for something that runs on my desktop all day, I would prefer if it sipped power and ran fast
- bitexploder 4y ago
  Battery is a good point. I will run Slack in a browser tab if traveling. I use an actual desktop 90% of my time.