7 ms·

Why would someone use this for desktop applications if you aren't obligated to target a web browser? The only benefit this brings is access to browser rendering

Why would someone use this for desktop applications if you aren't obligated to target a web browser? The only benefit this brings is access to browser rendering, which is a pretty terrible desktop experience (see e.g. slack, spotify).

sqeaky 3y ago
Portability? In some situations it is harder to support different desktop builds and this might unify that. I don't think it is the strongest argument but at least on the margins it is an option I can see teams in some places choosing.
- darby_eight 3y ago
  I think this is the strongest argument, but the sticking point is still the interface actually integrating with the OS environment well. Otherwise Java/C# would have taken off as a de-facto portable solution decades ago (and, in fact, this seems to work pretty well for stuff like games where native integration isn't a factor—most of my favorite games these days run on some sort of managed code, and in fact modding would be much more difficult without this). Granted, at least the browser code uses native widgets, but the look/feel and layout still tend to be way off.
leptons 3y ago
Not sure why you claim it's a "terrible desktop experience"? What's wrong with it, please explain.
- darby_eight 3y ago
  I already answered re: slack above, but spotify is just slow, ugly, and doesn't conform to native interface expectations. Granted, this is also largely true of iTunes, but the issue is much less flagrant there.
  - kristiandupont 3y ago
    Native interface expectations are only really a thing on MacOS at this point. I agree that they are often slower, but "ugly" is an opinion, one that I happen to disagree with. Native widgets feel primitive and dated to me.
    - coldtea 3y ago
      Sure, if one is easily satisfied and has low expectations, it's perfectly satisfying!
    - darby_eight 3y ago
      > Native widgets feel primitive and dated to me. Compared to what? I honestly don't know what other people consider state of the art interfaces if native apps are excluded.
      - kristiandupont 3y ago
        Compared to the web. I consider apps like Linear to be ones spearheading UI paradigms at the moment.
        kaba0 3y ago
        That app doesn’t look novel in any way.
    - Gormo 3y ago
      > Native widgets feel primitive and dated to me. Have you tried using a different theme?
      - kristiandupont 3y ago
        I use MacOS so I don't think that's possible (unless you mean "dark mode"). But in any case, I am not talking about colors but general fidelity.
  - 3y ago
falcor84 3y ago
Slack is terrible? In what sense?
- darby_eight 3y ago
  I mean, it's slow, it uses about ~500x more memory than my irc client does, the interface doesn't meld with the rest of the OS, the options for end-users to actually customize how the app works are direly limited... I'm probably missing gripes but thankfully I haven't had to use it for a couple of years.
  - 6510 3y ago
    It's hard to list all the differences. Say, file association is quite useful.
    - erhaetherth 3y ago
      But you can do file association on the web https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Progressive_web_apps/How_to/Associate_files_with_your_PWA https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Progressive_web...
- 6510 3y ago
  The client was specifically designed for browsing web pages. It has all kinds of features for it. A chat client would be quite different. The file menu would load and save chats. The context menu would have chatty things in it. You have to close the application to lose any application state. We've kinda forgot how nice it is to have a desktop application. 30-35 years ago function keys where cool. I cant remember the last time I've used one. I also cant remember the last time I've used the top menu with alt keys. The browser also has to limit functionality for safety reasons.
  - eviks 3y ago
    How do you rename files?
- 3y ago

sqeaky 3y ago

Portability? In some situations it is harder to support different desktop builds and this might unify that. I don't think it is the strongest argument but at least on the margins it is an option I can see teams in some places choosing.

darby_eight 3y ago
I think this is the strongest argument, but the sticking point is still the interface actually integrating with the OS environment well. Otherwise Java/C# would have taken off as a de-facto portable solution decades ago (and, in fact, this seems to work pretty well for stuff like games where native integration isn't a factor—most of my favorite games these days run on some sort of managed code, and in fact modding would be much more difficult without this). Granted, at least the browser code uses native widgets, but the look/feel and layout still tend to be way off.

leptons 3y ago

Not sure why you claim it's a "terrible desktop experience"? What's wrong with it, please explain.

darby_eight 3y ago
I already answered re: slack above, but spotify is just slow, ugly, and doesn't conform to native interface expectations. Granted, this is also largely true of iTunes, but the issue is much less flagrant there.
- kristiandupont 3y ago
  Native interface expectations are only really a thing on MacOS at this point. I agree that they are often slower, but "ugly" is an opinion, one that I happen to disagree with. Native widgets feel primitive and dated to me.
  - coldtea 3y ago
    Sure, if one is easily satisfied and has low expectations, it's perfectly satisfying!
  - darby_eight 3y ago
    > Native widgets feel primitive and dated to me. Compared to what? I honestly don't know what other people consider state of the art interfaces if native apps are excluded.
    - kristiandupont 3y ago
      Compared to the web. I consider apps like Linear to be ones spearheading UI paradigms at the moment.
      - kaba0 3y ago
        That app doesn’t look novel in any way.
  - Gormo 3y ago
    > Native widgets feel primitive and dated to me. Have you tried using a different theme?
    - kristiandupont 3y ago
      I use MacOS so I don't think that's possible (unless you mean "dark mode"). But in any case, I am not talking about colors but general fidelity.
- 3y ago

falcor84 3y ago

Slack is terrible? In what sense?

darby_eight 3y ago
I mean, it's slow, it uses about ~500x more memory than my irc client does, the interface doesn't meld with the rest of the OS, the options for end-users to actually customize how the app works are direly limited... I'm probably missing gripes but thankfully I haven't had to use it for a couple of years.
- 6510 3y ago
  It's hard to list all the differences. Say, file association is quite useful.
  - erhaetherth 3y ago
    But you can do file association on the web https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Progressive_web_apps/How_to/Associate_files_with_your_PWA https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Progressive_web...
6510 3y ago
The client was specifically designed for browsing web pages. It has all kinds of features for it. A chat client would be quite different. The file menu would load and save chats. The context menu would have chatty things in it. You have to close the application to lose any application state. We've kinda forgot how nice it is to have a desktop application. 30-35 years ago function keys where cool. I cant remember the last time I've used one. I also cant remember the last time I've used the top menu with alt keys. The browser also has to limit functionality for safety reasons.
- eviks 3y ago
  How do you rename files?
3y ago