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What's your experience with Electron alternatives (lemmy.ml)
submitted 2 years ago by to c/linux@lemmy.ml
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Electron is a widely hated framework on Linux, but what about the alternatives like Neutralinojs?

In their own words: In Electron and NWjs, you have to install Node.js and hundreds of dependency libraries. Embedded Chromium and Node.js make simple apps bloaty — in most scenarios, framework weights more than your app source. Neutralinojs offers a lightweight and portable SDK which is an alternative for Electron and NW.js. Neutralinojs doesn't bundle Chromium and uses the existing web browser library in the operating system (Eg: gtk-webkit2 on Linux). Neutralinojs implements a secure WebSocket connection for native operations and embeds a static web server to serve the web content. Also, it offers a built-in JavaScript client library for developers.

Do you experience alternatives like Njs to blend more in the desktop layout, install less junk, use less memory, are more compatible with Wayland,...?

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[–] 4 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (3 children)

You are talking as if all people can make a native app with the same knowledge and amount of effort as it would take to develop a website.

Sometimes, web developers would want to go further with their app and deliever "native" functionality. Sometimes, a person wants to build an app but only happens to know how to build a website.

It's a much more complicated matter than just some idiots deciding "let's build an utterly pointless thing and then let other idiots build horrific fiji-mermaid-esque hybrids!!".

https://asylum.madhouse-project.org/blog/2018/10/26/Walking-in-my-shoes/

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  • [–] 10 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Generally, my view is if it's an electron app it's going to be a crap user experience.

    You are talking as if all people can make a native app with the same knowledge and amount of effort as it would take to develop a website.

    No, not all people can't do that, but I think they should learn. It will lead to better results. Or are you saying that web developers are inherently incapable of developing native applications?

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  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago

    Honestly it varies a lot. I’m the kind of user that would rather have self contained apps (even if electron) whenever possible instead of new browser tabs/windows. So unless a electron app is notoriously bad, I’d rather have it avilable than not

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  • [–] 4 points 2 years ago

    Sometimes raising the barrier to entry is a good thing.

    Many Electron applications I've run across don't make even a try at loading system settings. For me, that causes accessibility issues related to photosensitivity. For some reason, feeling like I've been stabbed in the eyeball when I try to open a program does not endear me to it or its framework.

    No application at all is actually better than something built on Electron, as far as I'm concerned, because then there's a chance that someone, somewhere, might fill in the gap with software I can actually use.

    Electron needs to either actually provide the basics of native functionality, or go away.

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