I've spent the last two years building a new email client

Re:I've spent the last two years building a new email client by unt34teuotns on Wednesday May 02, 2018 @06:12PM (#16981605)

> I don't understand why using electron is considered "inconsiderate".

Because I chose my OS carefully and found that I like the way its native controls work. It has a number of features missing from other OSes and I want to use apps that integrate naturally with it. I have yet to find an electron app (or web app) that is 1/10th as good as a native app at fulfilling that desire. Electron apps feel like generic imitations of native apps. Yeah, they work, but everything is just off. Also, it comes from Google so I can only assume it's doing some sort of tracking of me and/or my machine resources. No thank you.

> Is it inconsiderate for Ford to make a larger SUV

It depends on which dimension they extend it and by how much. If they make it wider to where it doesn't fit in a lane on a normal road, then hell yes it's inconsiderate. That's essentially what electron does.

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Re:I've spent the last two years building a new email client by mStreamTeam on Wednesday May 02, 2018 @07:30PM (#16982068)

I'm an developer who's been using electron since it came out. At it's core electron is just a packaged NodeJS instance with a layer to access the OS API. The chrome as a GUI part does not have to be used. This makes electron a great way to distribute NodeJS apps. Instead of getting your users to install NodeJS and use the command line, you can give them an electron version of the app that works out of the box.

If you stick to using the GUI part minimally, it's easy to build very light weight applications with electron. I've been building my own music streaming server with electron and its gotten some traction since it's easier to install. The GUI layer is only used for editing config options, so the app typically runs with under 50mb of memory consumption: https://github.com/IrosTheBeggar/mStream/releases

If used smartly, electron is a powerful tool for developing desktop apps quickly. However thanks to modern frontend dev practices, it's easy to build a bloated pile of crap.

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Re:I've spent the last two years building a new email client by tomc1985 on Wednesday May 02, 2018 @06:56PM (#16981877)

In the US, a Ford XL SUV will get killed by the DOT if it does fit in standard lane sizes, among other considerations. I am sure this is why there comparatively few brands of automobiles here

There is no such governing body for Electron, save for the nebulous "market"; nobody with any authority is forcing them (GitHub et al) to fix their shit or GTFO

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Re:I've spent the last two years building a new email client by traek on Wednesday May 02, 2018 @06:38PM (#16981771)

> Also, it comes from Google so I can only assume it's doing some sort of tracking of me and/or my machine resources. No thank you.

Electron was developed by GitHub for their Atom editor, actually.

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