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Ask HN: Are there any startups making desktop apps?

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Re: Ask HN: Are there any startups making desktop apps?

#31

Post by buckbova »

HenryTheHorse wrote: post #29
egfx wrote: post #5

Actually most are making native mobile apps. I'm a mobile guy making a cross compatible web app. Why anyone would make a native app in our world of ECMAScript6 and HTML5 is beyond me.

There are many reasons to build native apps in the enterprise IT (business software) world. For certain use cases, access to offline data and fast performance become critical requirements. Think of a traveling sales rep who is on the road and needs access to a product catalog and pricing information to take sales orders. HTML5 doesn't quite cut it in such a scenario.

Why couldn't this sales rep use a mobile connected ipad to access a web app with pricing and ordering?

Re: Ask HN: Are there any startups making desktop apps?

#34

Post by captn3m0 »

joeyspn wrote: post #22
ohitsdom wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Slack's desktop client is really just a wrapper around a web browser.

Electron, specifically... https://github.com/atom/electron/

Interesting. I haven't used it because they don't support Linux yet. (EDIT: I mean Slack, not electron)

Re: Ask HN: Are there any startups making desktop apps?

#37

Post by randlet »

carrotleads wrote: post #26

Medical imaging desktop app http://www.truelifeanatomy.com.au/software/software-overview... We built it 10+ yrs back and we are still waiting for the big break which I guess in the medical field will come only once the big boys die off.. too many entrenched interests.

Just FYI I noticed a small typo on that page: "This places a significant stain on the hardware" stain -> strain.

Re: Ask HN: Are there any startups making desktop apps?

#39

Post by HenryTheHorse »

buckbova wrote: post #31
HenryTheHorse wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are many reasons to build native apps in the enterprise IT (business software) world. For certain use cases, access to offline data and fast performance become critical requirements. Think of a traveling sales rep who is on the road and needs access to a product catalog and pricing information to take sales orders. HTML5 doesn't quite cut it in such a scenario.

Why couldn't this sales rep use a mobile connected ipad to access a web app with pricing and ordering?

In several industries, sales reps often travel to locations without internet access (such as factory shop-floors, construction sites, mining sites etc). In such cases, the rep simply has to fire up the product catalog, capture orders, take notes etc and then sync up when he returns to an office/hotel room.

This is in fact one of the most common reasons for companies to look for native apps.

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