Live data from Hacker News

NirSoft Freeware (2008)

nirsoft.net

41–50 of 241 posts

Re: NirSoft Freeware (2008)

#41
post #20

> Each time that a popular AntiVirus software begins to detect one of my utilities as Virus or Trojan, my email is flooded with messages from worried people that think my Web site is infected with Viruses. Some of them even blame me that I spread Viruses through my Web site. I wonder if there is a defamation/libel type of lawsuit here. Anti virus vendors are making false accusations.

[deleted]

Re: NirSoft Freeware (2008)

#42

> While many software companies create a bloated installation package with size of 1 - 3 MB, the size of single utility in NirSoft is usually less than 100KB. The early 2000s were a different time. While as modern day electron apps are regularly 100+ MB.

im really fed up with this argument. most "native" apps use big chunks of the platform "frameworks" and are not platform independent, which was introduced by os companies and politics in the first place. most modern apple native apps are the ones that crash the most while electron are stable as fuck.

> most modern apple native apps are the ones that crash the most while electron are stable as...

I'd hesitate to make this generalization. I need to use slack on a macbook for work and it crashes regularly. I tried out VS code and it also would crash on occasion. Worse than that, coworkers of mine have rolled bug-ridden electron apps that we're required to use. There are plenty of non-electron apps that are stable.

Re: NirSoft Freeware (2008)

#43
post #20

> Each time that a popular AntiVirus software begins to detect one of my utilities as Virus or Trojan, my email is flooded with messages from worried people that think my Web site is infected with Viruses. Some of them even blame me that I spread Viruses through my Web site. I wonder if there is a defamation/libel type of lawsuit here. Anti virus vendors are making false accusations.

viruses may use the tools to achieve things, which creates an association

Re: NirSoft Freeware (2008)

#44
post #28
post #18

Nirsoft and Sysinternals should be part of Windows. Add Notepad++ and you have a decent OS all of a sudden.

I thought Sysinternals was acquired by Microsoft?

I really hope they someday integrate the tools into Windows considering how few megabytes they take up

Re: NirSoft Freeware (2008)

#46

> While many software companies create a bloated installation package with size of 1 - 3 MB, the size of single utility in NirSoft is usually less than 100KB. The early 2000s were a different time. While as modern day electron apps are regularly 100+ MB.

Fun fact: the icon for my Objective-C Mac app is larger than the executable binary (517 vs 394 KB).

Re: NirSoft Freeware (2008)

#47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

im really fed up with this argument. most "native" apps use big chunks of the platform "frameworks" and are not platform independent, which was introduced by os companies and politics in the first place. most modern apple native apps are the ones that crash the most while electron are stable as fuck.

I'm curious. If you have 20 electron apps running, does that mean you would have 20 copies of the completely same thing wasting your disk space and RAM? How would that work if all the application developers decided that native sucks and all should use Electron?

Yes, that's essentially what happens. And it's a huge waste if you have 20 Electron apps running. Each ships with its own copy of Chromium which is as large as an operating system.

I created a proof-of-concept called Electrino that uses the platform native libraries to cut down on app size: https://medium.com/dailyjs/put-your-electron-app-on-a-diet-w...

Unfortunately I haven't had the time to work on Electrino due to family, etc. — I wish I did because the need is clearly there.

Re: NirSoft Freeware (2008)

#48

He says all of his time goes into the website and the tools. So I'm wondering, how does he make money? Surely he does some consulting or something on the side to pay the bills.

"NirSoft is not a full-time job, but I use all my free time to maintain and develop this Web site."

Re: NirSoft Freeware (2008)

#49

> While many software companies create a bloated installation package with size of 1 - 3 MB, the size of single utility in NirSoft is usually less than 100KB. The early 2000s were a different time. While as modern day electron apps are regularly 100+ MB.

im really fed up with this argument. most "native" apps use big chunks of the platform "frameworks" and are not platform independent, which was introduced by os companies and politics in the first place. most modern apple native apps are the ones that crash the most while electron are stable as fuck.

It's better (and more efficient) to have a developer write (or waste, if you consider doing their job "wasting time") two interfaces than to waste the computer resources of a million people.

Electron is just outsourcing cross platform development to the Chromium project.

Re: NirSoft Freeware (2008)

#50

I've seen and used nirsoft products for years, never realized his name was Nir Sofer. What a great name for a software developer.

The name Nir Sofer "ניר סופר" means "Field Scribe" ("nir" also means plowed, but refers to a plowed field, too.

Now you know!

Post reply on HN