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Electron.Net: Build cross platform desktop apps using .NET core and ASP.NET core

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Re: Electron.Net: Build cross platform desktop apps using .NET core and ASP.NET core

#61

Post by matthewmacleod »

j_s wrote: post #59
lwansbrough wrote: post #20

I think this highlights the need for Microsoft to open source Edge’s new rendering engine. I’d love to be able to use the renderer in .NET Core for a whole host of applications (including rendering dynamic HTML to OpenGL) but unfortunately EdgeHTML has remained closed source! With many components of the .NET stack being open sourced, and even some of the Edge stack, I had high hopes for seeing the rendering engine op…

> some sort of UI subsystem that all vendors target Like the X Window System?

That's a glib answer, given that literally nobody writes UI code that talks directly to X for obvious reasons.

Re: Electron.Net: Build cross platform desktop apps using .NET core and ASP.NET core

#62

Post by matthewmacleod »

linguae wrote: post #45
alkonaut wrote: post #21

Can't we just make a proper, easy to use portable desktop application framework please? I really don't care what language is used so log as JS is avoidable (It can still be a compilation target so it could even be JS), and I can make a snappy desktop app that takes 10 not 100mb. I'm not even sure which one I'm hoping for at the moment. Xamarin seems to have bet fully on mobile. Avalonia looks nice but feels like it w…

It would be nice if GNUstep ( http://www.gnustep.org/ ) received much more attention. GNUstep is a free software implementation of the OpenStep API (which Apple's Cocoa API is based on), and GNUstep is available for *nix and Windows. The OpenStep API has already been shown to be cross platform; back in the days when NeXT, Inc. existed, it sold an implementation of the OpenStep API and development tools for Windows NT…

As an on-and-off Mac developer, I absolutely love Cocoa as a development platform. I did look into using GNUstep as a tool to base a cross-platform version of a Mac app on, but agreed that it just never quite made it. But I'd love that kind of API to be available cross-platform.

Re: Electron.Net: Build cross platform desktop apps using .NET core and ASP.NET core

#63

Post by matthewmacleod »

noway421 wrote: post #28
alkonaut wrote: post #21

Can't we just make a proper, easy to use portable desktop application framework please? I really don't care what language is used so log as JS is avoidable (It can still be a compilation target so it could even be JS), and I can make a snappy desktop app that takes 10 not 100mb. I'm not even sure which one I'm hoping for at the moment. Xamarin seems to have bet fully on mobile. Avalonia looks nice but feels like it w…

Does the binary size matter? Memory footprint is more important. There's always PyQt which works cross platform

I have used PyQt. I wouldn't suggest that it's a suitable cross-platform toolkit for anything more than the most basic applications.

Re: Electron.Net: Build cross platform desktop apps using .NET core and ASP.NET core

#64

Post by j_s »

matthewmacleod wrote: post #61
j_s wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> some sort of UI subsystem that all vendors target Like the X Window System?

That's a glib answer, given that literally nobody writes UI code that talks directly to X for obvious reasons.

It was not intended as a glib answer -- can you provide any aspect of the given requirements that are not met by X11? It is an interesting exercise to consider it as an alternative to Electron.

"Not hard to use" was not mentioned, but definitely correlates with popularity. Apple and Microsoft do not target it as a business decision, but X11 is available on both of these platforms with commercial support.

> nobody writes UI code that talks directly to X for obvious reasons

Nor would I expect them to; there are libraries to simplify that. I was pointing out the existence of a cross-platform UI protocol; X11's plight and your immediate visceral rejection provide additional insight into how well an idea like this works out in practice.

Re: Electron.Net: Build cross platform desktop apps using .NET core and ASP.NET core

#65

Post by shakna »

kristiandupont wrote: post #38

Ok, I normally find myself disagreeing with HN every time Electron comes up. Basically, I think the upsides are worth the size and performance tradeoffs. However, this seems to be almost an entire server deploy as well as a complete renderer all in one package. That does seem excessive to me for a desktop app.

> However, this seems to be almost an entire server deploy as well as a complete renderer all in one package. That does seem excessive to me for a desktop app.

That's precisely what Electron is. So what's the difference if you're okay with one?

Re: Electron.Net: Build cross platform desktop apps using .NET core and ASP.NET core

#66

Post by megaman22 »

pjmlp wrote: post #43
alkonaut wrote: post #21

Can't we just make a proper, easy to use portable desktop application framework please? I really don't care what language is used so log as JS is avoidable (It can still be a compilation target so it could even be JS), and I can make a snappy desktop app that takes 10 not 100mb. I'm not even sure which one I'm hoping for at the moment. Xamarin seems to have bet fully on mobile. Avalonia looks nice but feels like it w…

According to the latest Windows Developer Day, Xamarin.Forms is that framework in what concerns Microsoft. As for the rest, sorry for being so blunt, but it is just not wanting to learn. We we were writing applications across multiple OS and hardware architectures for ages now. It is easy, no, as it requires actually putting some effort into a proper architecture and OS/hardware abstractions, but it is surely doable.…

You didn't get the memo? You're supposed to jot down some half-formed ideas, pipe that through some cognitive services apis, pipe the results of that into webpack, and run the resulting mess in a docker container. Boom, magic!

Re: Electron.Net: Build cross platform desktop apps using .NET core and ASP.NET core

#67

Post by JustSomeNobody »

alkonaut wrote: post #55
yoodenvranx wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Can't we just make a proper, easy to use portable desktop application framework please? We should just go back to Delphi, it was/is one of the best ways of doing GUIs.

Isn't delphi procedural just like e.g. Swing/AWT or Windows Forms? (Been a long time since I worked with Delphi). I think XAML/XUL and similar declarative GUIs are better.

I’m so over XMLish and it’s declaritiveness. So please, no, don’t wish for this.

Re: Electron.Net: Build cross platform desktop apps using .NET core and ASP.NET core

#68

Post by lwansbrough »

hacker_9 wrote: post #48
lwansbrough wrote: post #20

I think this highlights the need for Microsoft to open source Edge’s new rendering engine. I’d love to be able to use the renderer in .NET Core for a whole host of applications (including rendering dynamic HTML to OpenGL) but unfortunately EdgeHTML has remained closed source! With many components of the .NET stack being open sourced, and even some of the Edge stack, I had high hopes for seeing the rendering engine op…

> This would allow any components built in any language to interface and work together using a common protocol No it wouldn't? How would a C++ app run my managed control built in C#? Or my JS page run components written in Rust, Java and Clojure? Unless you are expecting all of the runtimes to be bundled with the app/page too, in which case good luck with your file size and startup time...

This is obviously true. That being said, it would enable opportunities for developers to use controls where a bridge can be made. For example, if your C# library can be made into a Windows Runtime component then it could be run by C++, and I'm sure there are other ways of running C# code in C++ as well. JS would obviously be limited - it would be as limited as it ever has been.

It won't be long before one can write Rust or Java or Closure and have it compiled to web assembly. At such time, you'd be able to have your components run alongside JS as I described.

Re: Electron.Net: Build cross platform desktop apps using .NET core and ASP.NET core

#69

Post by j_s »

yunyu wrote: post #60
j_s wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I voted for the Developer Feedback issue you linked. > Currently we have to use CEF [ https://cefsharp.github.io ] https://bitbucket.org/geckofx What benefits would an open-source Edge provide to developers that the combination of Chrome and Firefox don't already? PS. 100% managed C# HTML renderer: https://github.com/ArthurHub/HTML-Renderer [edited]

For me, the main thing is that scrolling on a touchpad in Windows feels extremely "off" on Chrome and Firefox, while Edge manages it perfectly. Additionally, Edge has lower power consumption than Chrome.

> Edge has lower power consumption than Chrome

Thanks! This is a real differentiator.

It it unfortunate that Microsoft does not currently allow hosting of the Edge renderer "by design".

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/31773359/add-new-microso...

Re: Electron.Net: Build cross platform desktop apps using .NET core and ASP.NET core

#70

Post by lwansbrough »

j_s wrote: post #54
lwansbrough wrote: post #20

I think this highlights the need for Microsoft to open source Edge’s new rendering engine. I’d love to be able to use the renderer in .NET Core for a whole host of applications (including rendering dynamic HTML to OpenGL) but unfortunately EdgeHTML has remained closed source! With many components of the .NET stack being open sourced, and even some of the Edge stack, I had high hopes for seeing the rendering engine op…

I voted for the Developer Feedback issue you linked. > Currently we have to use CEF [ https://cefsharp.github.io ] https://bitbucket.org/geckofx What benefits would an open-source Edge provide to developers that the combination of Chrome and Firefox don't already? PS. 100% managed C# HTML renderer: https://github.com/ArthurHub/HTML-Renderer [edited]

> PS. 100% managed C# rendering engine

While this works, it's very limited in terms of HTML feature support. Not something you can give to a web developer and say "here use this to make a JS app."

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