[maxsilver]

> I still think that building a html+javascript package, and have the default browser run it

I think the thing that kills that approach is the default browser, which on Windows is IE 12 (Edge).

Edge isn't actually that bad to work with these days. But almost no web developers will use that when they could ship Chromium / Electron just as easily and get the exact same browser on all three platforms.

Even Microsoft's own teams will sometimes make that choice (VS Code using Electron.js and not Edge, for example)

[WorldMaker]

I don't think Edge is the problem: the problem is IE11 and people clutching to Windows 7 until the bitter end and whether or not to support them.

You can see bits and pieces where Microsoft's teams are also experimenting with Node on ChakraCore and Electron on Edge.