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Ask HN: Is Electron really that bad for desktop apps?

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Ask HN: Is Electron really that bad for desktop apps?

#1
I've been thinking of making a desktop app, but I keep hearing all this chatter about how Electron is really hard on memory. On the other hand, I know webdev, and learning C++ to make a native webapp seems like a steep learning curve (say by using something like Qt). Not only would I have to make different versions of the app for different operating systems, but I would also have to style the app using C++ which seems like a nightmare. CSS/js styling is so nice in comparison.

Is Electron really that bad? If so, are there any good alternatives that solve the two issues I mention above?

Re: Ask HN: Is Electron really that bad for desktop apps?

#3
I think it's important to consider what your program is going to do. Discord, for example, uses Electron, and I'm perfectly happy with it (as are most of the millions of others who use it). It's a product with a lot of functionality and it makes sense for it to have slower startup times, higher distribution size, and more memory usage. But if you're planning to make a calculator, then Electron probably isn't the right tool.

That being said, I think the styling thing is a really important point that is often undervalued. I've written UIs in GTK, Qt, and Swing, and perhaps this is close-minded but I honestly can't take anyone who says that they're just as easy as HTML/CSS seriously. I mean, literally just look at how many beautiful websites are out there, and then how many beautiful, not just functional, native programs there are (in my opinion, very few). UX/UI is important, and I think not having to pull your hair out every time you want to move a button to the right 3 pixels and give it a prettier border is a big plus for Electron.

Re: Ask HN: Is Electron really that bad for desktop apps?

#4
Depends.

I've downloaded a fair number of Electron apps, and ultimately deleted or aborted the download of most of them. VSC is the one that currently survives.

If it's something that needs most of a browser and HTML - like an email client that cropped up as a Show HN recently, or a client for a wholly online service, Electron may be the right choice.

If it's something more trivial like a notepad, reminder, or timer, Electron is just needlessly making it unfriendly thanks to start time, and memory load. Multiple MBs shouldn't be necessary for a timer or calculator but Electron will make that so.

You may say that we have lots of memory these days, and we do. But I run lots of things these days, and if I have half a dozen such apps running in background I basically have half a dozen instances of Chrome. That's quite an extra load on memory and start times. It's also going to be one of the early casualties if my (or family tech support) laptop is starting to run low on memory.

Last, I think there is something to be said for Electron as an early version while testing, especially while still exploring UI and feature changes as you can focus on that not platform issues. Once you know what is needed, 9 times out of 10, give them a proper native program.

Re: Ask HN: Is Electron really that bad for desktop apps?

#6

As a user, I can't stand electron based apps. I want normal ass UI on my programs. In fact, on my desktop, nothing is an app, it's a program... Make your thing a program.

Your distinction between an app (short for ”application”) and program is highly confusing.

Re: Ask HN: Is Electron really that bad for desktop apps?

#7
post #6

As a user, I can't stand electron based apps. I want normal ass UI on my programs. In fact, on my desktop, nothing is an app, it's a program... Make your thing a program.

Your distinction between an app (short for ”application”) and program is highly confusing.

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: Is Electron really that bad for desktop apps?

#8
No idea about Electron but I am used to desktop application especially in Qt, With Qt Quick (QML + Javascript) I have been able to make a cross platform application that runs on all desktop (Linux, Windows, MacOS) and all mobile (Android, iOS). Yes it requires some effort but it makes a nice result that seems native on all platform.

Re: Ask HN: Is Electron really that bad for desktop apps?

#10
post #6

As a user, I can't stand electron based apps. I want normal ass UI on my programs. In fact, on my desktop, nothing is an app, it's a program... Make your thing a program.

Your distinction between an app (short for ”application”) and program is highly confusing.

Exactly
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