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Parent specifically stated that modern frontend development tools pale in comparison to VB6. You couldn't write a VB6 program and run it on Mac, Linux, a random

Parent specifically stated that modern frontend development tools pale in comparison to VB6. You couldn't write a VB6 program and run it on Mac, Linux, a random smartphone, tablet, eReader, hell, even video game systems like the Sony PSP have had web browsers and been able to load web apps for a while now. You throw out "the distribution argument also isn't valid" as though firing up a Linux package manager or going to download some binary program on Windows/Mac is at all comparable to simply clicking a URL in an email. Not to mention the security implications of desktop distribution. No, the mediums are not comparable. Your rebuttals consist of "your argument isn't valid" but offer no counterpoints, rather, they simply describe the way desktop development is done these days. It's fine and dandy that you think desktop programming is the state of the art, but there are vast differences between web and desktop environments, and it's why things like the Chromebook can exist. There are many people these days for whom the internet is the computer.

WayneDB 13y ago
Lets say we've reached this plateau where we can run these moderately limited apps almost everywhere, in a browser. Great! We've been here for some time now though, since HTTP/HTML has always run anywhere a browser could be found... All you're saying is that we have browsers in more places now. That is pretty fantastic, no kidding. There's still nothing wrong with saying that the foundation it all runs on mostly sucks for building application front ends. What's wrong with wanting better? How awesome would it be to have a safe, well engineered browser that wasn't limited to just HTTP, HTML, CSS and Javascript? Give me a full duplex network stack, native graphics and broader input controls. Give me file access and a multi-language runtime! Sandbox it all, I don't care!! Microsoft has done all of this (exceedingly well, in a very short time) with Silverlight which can run dynamically downloaded C#, F#, VB and Python modules on Windows, OS X and (limitedly) on Linux. It could definitely be done better by a more open group.
- CmonDev 13y ago
  Now Silverlight was _actually_ innovative and modern. As opposed to 20-ish year old broken script and mark-up languages that have to be backwards-compatible.

WayneDB 13y ago

Lets say we've reached this plateau where we can run these moderately limited apps almost everywhere, in a browser. Great! We've been here for some time now though, since HTTP/HTML has always run anywhere a browser could be found... All you're saying is that we have browsers in more places now. That is pretty fantastic, no kidding. There's still nothing wrong with saying that the foundation it all runs on mostly sucks for building application front ends. What's wrong with wanting better? How awesome would it be to have a safe, well engineered browser that wasn't limited to just HTTP, HTML, CSS and Javascript? Give me a full duplex network stack, native graphics and broader input controls. Give me file access and a multi-language runtime! Sandbox it all, I don't care!! Microsoft has done all of this (exceedingly well, in a very short time) with Silverlight which can run dynamically downloaded C#, F#, VB and Python modules on Windows, OS X and (limitedly) on Linux. It could definitely be done better by a more open group.

CmonDev 13y ago
Now Silverlight was _actually_ innovative and modern. As opposed to 20-ish year old broken script and mark-up languages that have to be backwards-compatible.