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ToDesktop – Web app to desktop app in minutes

todesktop.com

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Re: ToDesktop – Web app to desktop app in minutes

#2

Post by supermatt »

This seems like a quick and easy way for me to have an interim version of my desktop app. I have a few questions:

  1) What are the "plugins" a pro subscription gives me. I could only see info on filesystem access in the docs.
  2) Likewise, what is the "restricted API" that pro subscription brings.
  3) Do I have any control over the "updates". For example, when I release a native app, I would want it to "update" to that.
  4) I am curious of the choice of electron over using the native browser libraries, given that the applications it targets are always web-first. Is there any reason you decided to go that route?
  5) What happens in the event I cancel the subscription? Will the apps cease to work? How is this presented to the end user?
The pricing feels a bit off to me. Its just below the "ill just wrap it in electron" cost for a one-off, but I am not sure if i would be happy to pay it as an ongoing fee given the lack of apparent value-add at the basic tier.

Re: ToDesktop – Web app to desktop app in minutes

#5

Post by resonious »

I gotta say, I'm not super convinced by a lot of the points on here.

> Native notifications

Web browsers already let you create these.

> Auto updates

Browsers usually already do this too! And also they will fetch your app fresh on each visit by default... So I'm not sure why this is a problem we need to solve for web apps.

> Native installers

So, more friction? Just visiting the webpage was too simple?

Anyway some of the other stuff like messing with the dock icon and badge is unique and maybe good. But I genuinely do not understand the appeal of shipping new copies of Chrome for each web service. The browser lets you do everything you need, 99% of the time. The install friction and increased trust burden of native apps is actually a downside that normally would be justified by something like "the app is faster and leaner than a browser". But when you're just shipping a browser that fetches JS and HTML from your server, what's the justification?

Re: ToDesktop – Web app to desktop app in minutes

#6

Post by dusted »

Stop trying to make desktop software with web technologies, they are all slower and suckier than their counterparts.

I'm not saying it's impossible to make a good native app with web technologies, only that you can _ALWAYS_ make a better one using native tech.

Re: ToDesktop – Web app to desktop app in minutes

#8

Post by NikolaNovak »

resonious wrote: post #5

I gotta say, I'm not super convinced by a lot of the points on here. > Native notifications Web browsers already let you create these. > Auto updates Browsers usually already do this too! And also they will fetch your app fresh on each visit by default... So I'm not sure why this is a problem we need to solve for web apps. > Native installers So, more friction? Just visiting the webpage was too simple? Anyway some of…

Strictly fwiw - There is a subset of people, myself included, who have old fashioned preference for native apps. In particular, a few likely obsolete perspectives :

1. I can have more ownership of the native app. I can make a copy on my NAS and install as needed

2. I can have more control over what it does. I can deny the firewall and whatever it does it'll do only locally.

3. Native app feels more "once and done". Web app feels more SaaSy. And many of us are getting allergic to everything under the sun wanting five bucks a months for 2 min of use.

For such people as myself, native installer isn't a point of friction, it's an inherent advantage.

Of course there are counterarguments! Native app can have a activation requirement or internet requirement and can do horrible things directly on my file system. Just offering a glimpse of alternate perspectives fwiw :-)

Re: ToDesktop – Web app to desktop app in minutes

#9

Post by mike_hearn »

mulhoon wrote: post #4

This has been on my radar for a while. It's so impressive. Bundling electron for all platforms can be a real headache. The only issue is, it's hard to commit $99/mo for a solo developer to trial a small app. (I know it's pennies for businesses)

What do you think is a fair price for a solo dev trialling a small app?

I'm asking because my firm makes a competitor to ToDesktop (sort of) [1], and this is a question we often get. It's free for open source apps and cheaper than ToDesktop, but the "I just want to trial an idea and not spend any money on it" use case isn't well supported by this pricing model.

One possibility is a trial period, but then how long should it be? Alternatively some mechanism that limits the number of installs, and which therefore has a lower price point attached.

However it seems a bit pointless because signing certificates cost on the order of hundreds of dollars a year anyway, and then file hosting also adds cost. So if you aren't willing to commit on the order of that much up front, then it may be a lost cause. To drive costs lower you need to take signing out of the equation entirely, which means someone else signs and sandboxes the resulting code.

[1] https://hydraulic.dev/

Re: ToDesktop – Web app to desktop app in minutes

#10

Post by ttyyzz »

dusted wrote: post #6

Stop trying to make desktop software with web technologies, they are all slower and suckier than their counterparts. I'm not saying it's impossible to make a good native app with web technologies, only that you can _ALWAYS_ make a better one using native tech.

I fully agree and very much like vs code at the same time.
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