The State of Desktop Applications in Node.js

#1

Post by callum85 » Wed, Dec 10, 2014, 3:53 PM UTC

The State of Desktop Applications in Node.js
nodesource.com

Re: The State of Desktop Applications in Node.js

#2

Post by callum85 » Wed, Dec 10, 2014, 4:24 PM UTC

Last time I tried building a 'blank' node-webkit app for OS X (using https://github.com/Dica-Developer/generator-node-webkit), the resulting .app came to ~100MB.

Does anyone know the base size for an atom-shell app?

Re: The State of Desktop Applications in Node.js

#3

Post by mcs » Wed, Dec 10, 2014, 4:34 PM UTC

callum85 wrote: post #2

Last time I tried building a 'blank' node-webkit app for OS X (using https://github.com/Dica-Developer/generator-node-webkit ), the resulting .app came to ~100MB. Does anyone know the base size for an atom-shell app?

The flat packages you would most likely distribute for the application come in around 30mB for me.

Re: The State of Desktop Applications in Node.js

#4

Post by mid-kid » Wed, Dec 10, 2014, 4:37 PM UTC

The web wasn't made to be used as a desktop app replacement, and it will never be. Quit trying to make it that way, and start using a widget toolkit like you should. Hell, if you love html/js so much, there's a big chance you won't dislike QML. The web is for sharing content, not for games, text editors, and all that stuff. I see google trying to blur the lines between that, but why is it necessary? Just because people are too lazy to adapt themselves to the platform they're writing for, and allow them to create slow, shitty "web apps"?

Re: The State of Desktop Applications in Node.js

#5

Post by Rauchg » Wed, Dec 10, 2014, 4:39 PM UTC

Check out thrust as well: https://github.com/breach/thrust

multi-platform and easily bindable to any language

Re: The State of Desktop Applications in Node.js

#6

Post by nawitus » Wed, Dec 10, 2014, 4:41 PM UTC

mid-kid wrote: post #4

The web wasn't made to be used as a desktop app replacement, and it will never be. Quit trying to make it that way, and start using a widget toolkit like you should. Hell, if you love html/js so much, there's a big chance you won't dislike QML. The web is for sharing content, not for games, text editors, and all that stuff. I see google trying to blur the lines between that, but why is it necessary? Just because peop…

>I see google trying to blur the lines between that, but why is it necessary?

So that people don't need to install, maintain or update applications, and can access them everywhere in the world using just a web browser? And because they're also more secure than traditional applications that you need to install on your PC?

Re: The State of Desktop Applications in Node.js

#7

Post by depr » Wed, Dec 10, 2014, 4:43 PM UTC

mid-kid wrote: post #4

The web wasn't made to be used as a desktop app replacement, and it will never be. Quit trying to make it that way, and start using a widget toolkit like you should. Hell, if you love html/js so much, there's a big chance you won't dislike QML. The web is for sharing content, not for games, text editors, and all that stuff. I see google trying to blur the lines between that, but why is it necessary? Just because peop…

Also, if you're making a desktop app you don't have to use HTML/JS, why on earth would you use those if you don't absolutely have to?

Re: The State of Desktop Applications in Node.js

#8

Post by depr » Wed, Dec 10, 2014, 4:44 PM UTC

nawitus wrote: post #6

mid-kid wrote: post #4

The web wasn't made to be used as a desktop app replacement, and it will never be. Quit trying to make it that way, and start using a widget toolkit like you should. Hell, if you love html/js so much, there's a big chance you won't dislike QML. The web is for sharing content, not for games, text editors, and all that stuff. I see google trying to blur the lines between that, but why is it necessary? Just because peop…

>I see google trying to blur the lines between that, but why is it necessary? So that people don't need to install, maintain or update applications, and can access them everywhere in the world using just a web browser? And because they're also more secure than traditional applications that you need to install on your PC?

That applies to Google's apps, but not to these Node desktop apps.

Re: The State of Desktop Applications in Node.js

#9

Post by mnkypete » Wed, Dec 10, 2014, 4:47 PM UTC

There is also a quick way to start a new application with Atom: https://github.com/atom/atom-shell-starter

Re: The State of Desktop Applications in Node.js

#10

Post by rdtsc » Wed, Dec 10, 2014, 4:54 PM UTC

depr wrote: post #7

mid-kid wrote: post #4

The web wasn't made to be used as a desktop app replacement, and it will never be. Quit trying to make it that way, and start using a widget toolkit like you should. Hell, if you love html/js so much, there's a big chance you won't dislike QML. The web is for sharing content, not for games, text editors, and all that stuff. I see google trying to blur the lines between that, but why is it necessary? Just because peop…

Also, if you're making a desktop app you don't have to use HTML/JS, why on earth would you use those if you don't absolutely have to?

Regardless of my personal view of JS desktop apps the reasoning usually follows out of a combination of these:

* Web browsers already have a way of creating widgets rendering them, changing their skins

* There are many javascript libraries and frameworks, so can use those for connecting backends, processing events, etc.

* With a bit of luck you can run the same code as an actual web page.

* Desktop app is an after-thought today because web service/web page came first. The world of software applications with a GUI on top started with Desktop apps that were then adapted for the web. Today perhaps the opposite is true.