[sudb]

I wonder what the numbers say about desktop applications now, and how much the arrival of Electron changed things up here.

Nowadays, it seems to be that mobile apps have the "best metrics" for b2c software. I'd be interested to read a contemporary version of this article.

[xp84]

“Metrics”

This reminds me of a past job working for an e-commerce company. This wasn’t a store like Amazon that “everyone” uses weekly, it was a specific pricey fashion brand. They had put out a shitty iOS app, which was just a very bare-bones wrapper around the website. But they raved about how much better the conversion rate rates were there. Nobody would listen to me about how the customers that bother downloading a specific app for shopping at a particular retailer are obviously just superfans so of course that self-selected group converts well.

So many people who should be smart based on their job titles and salaries, got the causation completely backwards!

[zephen]

This stupidity might go a long way towards explaining the relentless push towards apps.

[drBonkers]

Hey, I notice this kind of thing all the time. People use "data" to tell the story they want to -- similar to how it seems humans make a decision subconsciously then weave a rational decision to back it up afterwards.

Do you have principles on how to tackle this? I feel stuck between the irrationality of anecdata and the irrationality of lying with numbers. As if the only useful statistic is one I collect and calculate myself. And, even then, I could be lying to myself.

[mmarian]

Review the methodology, if you can, and form your own conclusions. Don't bother trying to change people's minds. It rarely works, and often causes conflict, even in the case of people who say they're data-driven.

[gridder]

Survivorship bias

[hermitcrab]

Some of us are still making a living from desktop apps, 17 years later.

[xantronix]

Please tell your tales. We beseech thee of thine humble wisdom.

[hermitcrab]

I've written about it lots at:

https://www.successfulsoftware.net

[stackghost]

Electron is the worst of both worlds. I have never paid for an Electron app, and never will. Horrid UX.

[bigyabai]

> I have never paid for an Electron app

Your employer most likely has.

[stackghost]

Sure, and so has my government. But I can only control what I personally pay for.

[yshamrei]

In 2026, the number of mobile applications in the App Store and Google Play increased by 60% year over year, largely because entry into the market has become much easier thanks to AI.

[hermitcrab]

What 'best metrics'?

[joenot443]

I think in this case it can be approximated as 'largest market'

I'd wager there are more people paying for software for their smart phone than any other platform they use.

[bee_rider]

Having my credit card already is an overwhelming advantage for the Apple App store and for Steam. I won’t say it is impossible to overcome, but I think I could count on my fingers the number of instances where I, like, typed my card into a website to buy anything, in the last decade.

[hermitcrab]

Yes, but they are mostly paying little or nothing. How much did you spend on phone apps this year? And ads pay a pittance, unless you have massive scale.

[sudb]

Anecdotally, conversion - from free to trial, trial to paid, one-off purchases, etc.