[presentation]

We'd be in a better place if web APIs to access system resources didn't suck or weren't intentionally gimped by companies like Apple. Tauri seems like a way out, but can't say without having tried it.

The web is the best cross-platform environment we have as evidenced by the fact that developers flock to stuff like Electron at all, but then you end up needing to ship your own entire browser engine to achieve a reasonable level of control. If PWAs didn't threaten App Store business models we'd probably be in a better place RE web app distribution (just use the browser you're already using anyway).

Doesn't address the issue that web app development is flooded with bad choices and opinions that lead people to decide that the whole ecosystem is overcomplicated and bloated, but that's not an opinion I hold very dear as someone who feels pretty comfortable with web tech stacks and understand where they came from.

I do think the skill bar is too high right now, where most engineers are likely to do a bad job RE performance and security with what we have unfortunately. But I'm not confident your average engineer would do any better if it were a different ecosystem.

[guappa]

> The web is the best cross-platform environment we have as evidenced by the fact that developers flock to stuff like Electron at all

I suspect that web developers who only know web development flock to electron because they think it's easier than learning a new technology.

In my professional experience, it is perhaps easier for a web developer who only knows JS to get a prototype working, but when you want a nice application you end up having to re-implement a number of things that any regular widget toolkit would already offer. So on the long term I don't think it's cost efficient at all, but at that point you've already spent resources on your electron GUI so you keep going forever.