5 ms·

When can we expect discord not to take 20-30 seconds to launch on a $5000 PC? What exactly is it doing, recompiling the client from source using a single core e

When can we expect discord not to take 20-30 seconds to launch on a $5000 PC? What exactly is it doing, recompiling the client from source using a single core each time it opens?

dumbo-octopus 2y ago
It needs to download the 20 distinct update patches that they added in the past 4 hours, in series, all of which combine to together change the actual product in precisely no way whatsoever.
- HeXetic 2y ago
  > change the actual product in precisely no way whatsoever How dare you belittle the new Super Ultra Nitro Deluxe Gold Platinum emoji, stickers, and playable sound effects.
  - troupo 2y ago
    Don't forget the 15 000 or so notifications that you can't realistically turn off
    - smolder 2y ago
      I mute every "server" permanently, disable all "mentions" (@here, @role, etc) and it stays quiet except for DMs. If there's something I want to see I'll go look in a channel.
      - squigz 2y ago
        How do you know there's something you want to see? (I run a relatively small Discord community so I'm sincerely curious how people engage with servers and discover new stuff in it)
        boneitis 2y ago
        I have applied the same measures as GP; if it is interesting/important enough, I will find it manually. (Similarly, I am an administrator of a public server; I regularly remind regulars and other admins that I'll only get notified from DMs.) For announcement channels that I'm feeling more certain I don't want to miss: I created a server for myself with a channel that has subscriptions to all the announcement channels that I want to be notified about (I also check this manually, but at least it is a custom-tailored feed just for me). There is no coping with the (..checks Discord..) "4k+" outstanding notifications (and counting) that I am bombarded with. Slightly ironic that the Discord interface can't even be bothered to tell me the exact count; I'm not going to bother. It used to amuse me to see people complain about @everyone tags. The commonality of it leaves me desensitized these days.
        smolder 2y ago
        The channels with no activity remain grey instead of white. It's important to me that I discover messages when I have some downtime and am interested in so-called discovery, as opposed to having junk interrupt my flow at times when I am not.
      - troupo 2y ago
        It will still show you notifications like "suggested people to follow" :) It's an ongoing battle
- lol768 2y ago
  Why does it have this update mechanism, and semi-regularly force me to download a new .deb file to install w/ dpkg?
  - gorbypark 2y ago
    The deb file probably contains new versions of electron (or at least versions of electron that change the actual v8/chrome version) and the regular updates during launch are loading JavaScript. Just a guess.
  - talhah 2y ago
    You can disable the deb check by putting "SKIP_HOST_UPDATE": true in your configuration file and just let your package manager update it
  - bogwog 2y ago
    To be fair, that's on you for not using the Flatpak version.
    - sgarland 2y ago
      Flatpak and its ilk are a scourge that should be avoided. I don’t want to have to install another package management system when apt is right there. Moreover, I like apt precisely because it has in-depth knowledge about everything in the system. If I install something from source, it’s a careful decision, and I know the tradeoffs. With things like Flatpak, that line is blurred.
      - aaomidi 2y ago
        ? Apt doesn’t require you to install from source? It’s not even its default behavior? Flatpak provides basic level of sandboxing that ensures non-malicious stupid stuff like how steam had a bug to delete the entire user directory doesn’t actually impact you. Beyond that, discord probably won’t solve issues with the N package managers if something happens. They’re a lot more likely to solve a Flatpak problem though.
maxfurman 2y ago
It's an electron app, so, yes, kinda. It has to load and parse all of its own JS at boot time (barring any lazy loading within the app)
- candiddevmike 2y ago
  VSCode is quite a bit snappier for me though, I don't think electron is necessarily the problem.
  - a_wild_dandan 2y ago
    It almost never is. While HN contrarians endlessly complain about it, the rest of the world happily ships Electron. Discontent with Electron is so comically over represented here that I'm beginning to think it's an insecurity or complex or something.
    - Der_Einzige 2y ago
      I hate every Electron app I use, and that includes vscode. There is a unique type of jank associated with it. Would love to live in the apparently "bizzaro" world where desktop class apps developed using tools which try to be more native to the OS were still successful in 2024. Every update to Adobe creative suite makes it more and more close to an electron app and further and further away from it's roots as one of the premiere high end desktop caliber programs. I interpret the rise of Electron to be mostly correlated with the lack of knowledge on how to do old school desktop GUI development among the folks who teach CS education. I expect that fl studio, photoshop, word, and every other remaining good desktop caliber app will be lost to the "make everything a in web-browser" trend, eventually. I'm so over it and it hasn't happened yet. This is also the reason why GenAI STILL has no good prosumer tools. ComfyUI/Automatic1111/Forge/lm-studio are the closest we have and they're gradio or electron webapps which indicates that AI folks are not down with leaving the python or JS ecosystem for even a minute. This means we need good desktop caliber GUI developers who understand AI. Unfortunately, they basically don't exist. Thus, the world runs SOTA models on janky shit gradio or electron frontends instead of the desktop GUI's we had for similar UIs 10-20 years ago. Word 2003 was peak software, and I'll never change my mind.
Jowsey 2y ago
The onus is really on Discord, but you can use https://openasar.dev https://openasar.dev to partially fix the problem for yourself - it's an open source drop-in replacement for the client updater/bootstrapper.
nicoburns 2y ago
It opens in about 2 seconds if you use the web client (https://discord.com/app https://discord.com/app)
- Waterluvian 2y ago
  Didn’t even realize there was a desktop app worth getting. The website seems to work fine.
- pwython 2y ago
  Loads less than a second for me using the website. I'm just on a 1st gen Mac Mini M1 w/ Chrome. I mainly use Discord for MidJourney, it has always been smooth. Are there any benefits/features to using their Electron desktop app?
  - delecti 2y ago
    I generally find that it's easier to interact with AV devices (webcams, microphones) on the desktop app, than when having to deal with a browser's opinions. It also separates it from your browser, which might be desirable if you keep a bunch of tabs and don't want them open in the background. I use either option in different circumstances, they're both comparably fine.
cevn 2y ago
Using Vencord on Linux it opens practically instantly and has a superior feature set..
- squigz 2y ago
  FWIW, third-party clients and client modifications are technically against Discord's TOS
  - Jowsey 2y ago
    This is true, but in the past various Discord employees have explicitly said (on HN no less) that they don't intentionally ban accounts for using them, only that sometimes their anti-spam systems can also flag them as false positives (and that you may be able to submit a ticket in this case), so I wouldn't worry too much
alexander2002 2y ago
i thought i had some bug that my discord was loading slowly!
solardev 2y ago
In true JS fashion, it rewrites itself in a new framework every time you open it, and every fifth time, it chooses a different package manager just for fun.
ezfe 2y ago
I switched to the web app on macOS (installed from Safari) and it opens much faster and is indistinguishable
- pwython 2y ago
  I'm confused, why is anyone "installing" Discord? I just go to the website.
  - dimal 2y ago
    I’ve found that on the website, they seem to log me out pretty aggressively if I’m not using it often.
  - bschmidt1 2y ago
    Like Instagram and Slack they intentionally make the web experience bad so you use the native app where they can track more.
  - patrakov 2y ago
    The web-based experience is subpar: * You can't share your screen in a way optimized for text clarity. In the native app, even without nitro, you, effectively, have the "source resolution, 5 fps" option. With the web app, you are limited to 720p. * You can't make the full use of your camera. On the web, 640x480 is the only available resolution, while in the native app, 1280x720 is the default. * Also, on platforms other than Linux, with the native app, you can stream the game audio separately from your microphone. This functionality is not available via the web or on Linux unless you install an unofficial client.
    - pwython 2y ago
      Ah, I didn't know people were using Discord for video calls. No one has ever asked me to to jump on a Discord video call. Then again, I'm not a PC gamer. I honestly thought it was basically just a modern IRC, to chat in specific groups/channels, and to ask the MidJourney bot to generate images of cats wearing pajamas.
  - 2y ago
dimal 2y ago
I wish it would at least not show those obnoxious spinners over and over.
dancemethis 2y ago
hey now, personal user data takes a while.

When can we expect discord not to take 20-30 seconds to launch on a $5000 PC? What exactly is it doing, recompiling the client from source using a single core each time it opens?

dumbo-octopus 2y ago

It needs to download the 20 distinct update patches that they added in the past 4 hours, in series, all of which combine to together change the actual product in precisely no way whatsoever.

HeXetic 2y ago
> change the actual product in precisely no way whatsoever How dare you belittle the new Super Ultra Nitro Deluxe Gold Platinum emoji, stickers, and playable sound effects.
- troupo 2y ago
  Don't forget the 15 000 or so notifications that you can't realistically turn off
  - smolder 2y ago
    I mute every "server" permanently, disable all "mentions" (@here, @role, etc) and it stays quiet except for DMs. If there's something I want to see I'll go look in a channel.
    - squigz 2y ago
      How do you know there's something you want to see? (I run a relatively small Discord community so I'm sincerely curious how people engage with servers and discover new stuff in it)
      - boneitis 2y ago
        I have applied the same measures as GP; if it is interesting/important enough, I will find it manually. (Similarly, I am an administrator of a public server; I regularly remind regulars and other admins that I'll only get notified from DMs.) For announcement channels that I'm feeling more certain I don't want to miss: I created a server for myself with a channel that has subscriptions to all the announcement channels that I want to be notified about (I also check this manually, but at least it is a custom-tailored feed just for me). There is no coping with the (..checks Discord..) "4k+" outstanding notifications (and counting) that I am bombarded with. Slightly ironic that the Discord interface can't even be bothered to tell me the exact count; I'm not going to bother. It used to amuse me to see people complain about @everyone tags. The commonality of it leaves me desensitized these days.
      - smolder 2y ago
        The channels with no activity remain grey instead of white. It's important to me that I discover messages when I have some downtime and am interested in so-called discovery, as opposed to having junk interrupt my flow at times when I am not.
    - troupo 2y ago
      It will still show you notifications like "suggested people to follow" :) It's an ongoing battle
lol768 2y ago
Why does it have this update mechanism, and semi-regularly force me to download a new .deb file to install w/ dpkg?
- gorbypark 2y ago
  The deb file probably contains new versions of electron (or at least versions of electron that change the actual v8/chrome version) and the regular updates during launch are loading JavaScript. Just a guess.
- talhah 2y ago
  You can disable the deb check by putting "SKIP_HOST_UPDATE": true in your configuration file and just let your package manager update it
- bogwog 2y ago
  To be fair, that's on you for not using the Flatpak version.
  - sgarland 2y ago
    Flatpak and its ilk are a scourge that should be avoided. I don’t want to have to install another package management system when apt is right there. Moreover, I like apt precisely because it has in-depth knowledge about everything in the system. If I install something from source, it’s a careful decision, and I know the tradeoffs. With things like Flatpak, that line is blurred.
    - aaomidi 2y ago
      ? Apt doesn’t require you to install from source? It’s not even its default behavior? Flatpak provides basic level of sandboxing that ensures non-malicious stupid stuff like how steam had a bug to delete the entire user directory doesn’t actually impact you. Beyond that, discord probably won’t solve issues with the N package managers if something happens. They’re a lot more likely to solve a Flatpak problem though.

maxfurman 2y ago

It's an electron app, so, yes, kinda. It has to load and parse all of its own JS at boot time (barring any lazy loading within the app)

candiddevmike 2y ago
VSCode is quite a bit snappier for me though, I don't think electron is necessarily the problem.
- a_wild_dandan 2y ago
  It almost never is. While HN contrarians endlessly complain about it, the rest of the world happily ships Electron. Discontent with Electron is so comically over represented here that I'm beginning to think it's an insecurity or complex or something.
  - Der_Einzige 2y ago
    I hate every Electron app I use, and that includes vscode. There is a unique type of jank associated with it. Would love to live in the apparently "bizzaro" world where desktop class apps developed using tools which try to be more native to the OS were still successful in 2024. Every update to Adobe creative suite makes it more and more close to an electron app and further and further away from it's roots as one of the premiere high end desktop caliber programs. I interpret the rise of Electron to be mostly correlated with the lack of knowledge on how to do old school desktop GUI development among the folks who teach CS education. I expect that fl studio, photoshop, word, and every other remaining good desktop caliber app will be lost to the "make everything a in web-browser" trend, eventually. I'm so over it and it hasn't happened yet. This is also the reason why GenAI STILL has no good prosumer tools. ComfyUI/Automatic1111/Forge/lm-studio are the closest we have and they're gradio or electron webapps which indicates that AI folks are not down with leaving the python or JS ecosystem for even a minute. This means we need good desktop caliber GUI developers who understand AI. Unfortunately, they basically don't exist. Thus, the world runs SOTA models on janky shit gradio or electron frontends instead of the desktop GUI's we had for similar UIs 10-20 years ago. Word 2003 was peak software, and I'll never change my mind.

Jowsey 2y ago

The onus is really on Discord, but you can use https://openasar.dev https://openasar.dev to partially fix the problem for yourself - it's an open source drop-in replacement for the client updater/bootstrapper.

nicoburns 2y ago

It opens in about 2 seconds if you use the web client (https://discord.com/app https://discord.com/app)

Waterluvian 2y ago
Didn’t even realize there was a desktop app worth getting. The website seems to work fine.
pwython 2y ago
Loads less than a second for me using the website. I'm just on a 1st gen Mac Mini M1 w/ Chrome. I mainly use Discord for MidJourney, it has always been smooth. Are there any benefits/features to using their Electron desktop app?
- delecti 2y ago
  I generally find that it's easier to interact with AV devices (webcams, microphones) on the desktop app, than when having to deal with a browser's opinions. It also separates it from your browser, which might be desirable if you keep a bunch of tabs and don't want them open in the background. I use either option in different circumstances, they're both comparably fine.

cevn 2y ago

Using Vencord on Linux it opens practically instantly and has a superior feature set..

squigz 2y ago
FWIW, third-party clients and client modifications are technically against Discord's TOS
- Jowsey 2y ago
  This is true, but in the past various Discord employees have explicitly said (on HN no less) that they don't intentionally ban accounts for using them, only that sometimes their anti-spam systems can also flag them as false positives (and that you may be able to submit a ticket in this case), so I wouldn't worry too much

alexander2002 2y ago

i thought i had some bug that my discord was loading slowly!

solardev 2y ago

In true JS fashion, it rewrites itself in a new framework every time you open it, and every fifth time, it chooses a different package manager just for fun.

ezfe 2y ago

I switched to the web app on macOS (installed from Safari) and it opens much faster and is indistinguishable

pwython 2y ago
I'm confused, why is anyone "installing" Discord? I just go to the website.
- dimal 2y ago
  I’ve found that on the website, they seem to log me out pretty aggressively if I’m not using it often.
- bschmidt1 2y ago
  Like Instagram and Slack they intentionally make the web experience bad so you use the native app where they can track more.
- patrakov 2y ago
  The web-based experience is subpar: * You can't share your screen in a way optimized for text clarity. In the native app, even without nitro, you, effectively, have the "source resolution, 5 fps" option. With the web app, you are limited to 720p. * You can't make the full use of your camera. On the web, 640x480 is the only available resolution, while in the native app, 1280x720 is the default. * Also, on platforms other than Linux, with the native app, you can stream the game audio separately from your microphone. This functionality is not available via the web or on Linux unless you install an unofficial client.
  - pwython 2y ago
    Ah, I didn't know people were using Discord for video calls. No one has ever asked me to to jump on a Discord video call. Then again, I'm not a PC gamer. I honestly thought it was basically just a modern IRC, to chat in specific groups/channels, and to ask the MidJourney bot to generate images of cats wearing pajamas.
- 2y ago

dimal 2y ago

I wish it would at least not show those obnoxious spinners over and over.

dancemethis 2y ago

hey now, personal user data takes a while.