4 ms·
how much backwards compatability do i neee nowadays? my laptop only needs to run a few things: browser vscode steam the microsoft drawing app some office stuf
by 8note 4y ago
how much backwards compatability do i neee nowadays?
my laptop only needs to run a few things:
browser
vscode
steam
the microsoft drawing app
some office stuff
sublime
discord
which all update pretty regularly.
the age of the desktop app has been replaced by the age of the browser and electron based apps. i can imagine businesses who built their own set ups back in the age of the desktop app being stuck with it, but for the most part i dont think i used windows' backwards compatability anymore
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- Dalewyn 4y agoA lot more than you think: * Steam (the root process, not the subsequent Chromium child processes) is 32-bit, as are a lot of games. * Discord is 32-bit.
- pas 4y agoHow come people run these Electron apps separately when they run pretty well as tabs/windows in the browser?
- Ar-Curunir 4y agoBecause integration into the desktop is better as an Electron app. Eg sound and video calls, keyboard shortcuts, not having to worry about finding your Discord/Slack/whatever tab
- Dalewyn 4y agoI would't say Electron is better desktop integration. Discord for example is literally just a chrome-less Chrome; the zoom in/out hotkeys in Chrome still work in it. This is also not mentioning how no Electron program ever visually adheres to the desktop environment it's running in.
- oefrha 4y agoElectron apps can use desktop capabilities. Web apps are at the mercy of the few desktop-bridging APIs that browsers inconsistently expose. They’re not talking about UI/UX “integration”. Discord for instance has this “currently playing game X” feature. I have zero interest in broadcasting what I’m doing at the moment to the world, but many do and have this feature enabled. Good luck implementing that in a browser-confined web app.
- leonidasv 4y agoElectron can call native OS APIs the browser can't. An example: https://stackoverflow.com/a/39569062 https://stackoverflow.com/a/39569062
- smileybarry 4y ago> Discord for example is literally just a chrome-less Chrome; the zoom in/out hotkeys in Chrome still work in it. No, it also includes: * Voice (and text chat) overlay for games (DLL) * Game integration via lobby & rich presence APIs * Krisp noise cancellation (requires a DLL as well) * (Better) screenshare (Chrome has an API for window sharing now but Discord's is a bit more robust with several backends in case one fails) * System-wide keybinds * Scripting support via gaming accessory apps (Logitech G HUB, HyperX, etc.) It also (anecdotally) works faster than the web client, in my experience. Just because the zoom controls work (which is an accessibility feature) doesn't mean it's a barebones Chrome wrapper.
- dariusj18 4y agoBecause a long time ago Microsoft lost a lawsuit when they tried making the web and Windows more integrated
- rewgs 4y agoI guess I'm one of the few who doesn't. Discord, Slack, Spotify, etc -- they're all just bookmarks for me.
- encryptluks2 4y agoBecause browser's haven't built enough compatibility with the desktop to use it like a regular app, therefore severely limiting---sometimes intentionally---what you can and can't access on the file system. It is expected sometime in the near future that browsers will have enough sandbox protection that they will then enable app developers to do the same things that only Electron allows but without the excessive bloat you get from Electron versions.
- poopooracoocoo 4y agoI think it's because the apps have additional functionality and because the services push users to use the apps on their websites. Some of the additional functionality is artificially limited to apps as companies can put more tracking, advertising, and can ensure that people won't leave their service easily by just closing a tab.
- zamadatix 4y agoThey may update regularly but that doesn't mean they only use modern features. E.g. even just Steam itself (not just games in it) is largely still 32 bit on Windows requiring gigabytes of 32 bit compatibility files using interfaces going back decades even though Windows 11 itself doesn't have a 32 bit version anymore.
- Rebelgecko 4y agoWhat's the use case for needing to run steam but not individual games? Are you using desktop sharing with an ec2 instance or something?
- MuffinFlavored 4y agoIsn't it interesting that both you and I frequently use Sublime and VS Code? Why can't VS Code kill off Sublime? It's interesting to me where a text editor like Sublime can't be a preferable IDE, but an IDE also isn't a preferable text editor?
- speg 4y agoSublime is, well, Sublime. Every time I try VS Code I just can’t commit. There’s a bit too much going on and it never feels as tight as Sublime. I did just get a new Windows machine, so maybe I should try it on that.
- MuffinFlavored 4y agoWhen you are using Sublime, do you have the ability to right click somewhere and "go to definition" in a big code base?
- nickpeterson 4y agoI have the same feelings. Sublime has really good, “let me visually manipulate text through cursors” functionality. The find all, regex highlighting, and multi cursors are really nice. These features are in nearly every editor but they always feel crappy to use compared to sublime. I’m starting to get back into emacs recently though because I like fiddling with tools more than productivity.
- tkuraku 4y agoI've migrated to vscode from sublime. Vscode integrated debugger, lsp, etc are way ahead of sublime. That said, typing in sublime just feels good compared to vscode. I keep sublime around for quick edits.
- bombolo 4y ago> steam Do you want steam to actually run any game? :D