I actually dislike the fact that PWAs / Electron apps are becoming the way to build cross platform apps.
For a while I thought Microsoft is planning to create a new cross platform, or make WPF cross platform or UWP (which is more limited and less chance of running on .NET 5 because of the Modern Windows runtime)
Then I understood that Microsoft embraces Xamarin.Forms and expects us to use it instead (and for mobile apps).
I also tried making a simple app but huge build times, over complication made me give up.
I think that right now is almost too late but just the right time to announce a cross platform XAML framework (Not Xamarin.Forms please) to run on .NET 5 and crush Electron!
Versatile software engineer with a background in .NET consulting and CMS development. Working on regaining my embedded development skills to get more involved with IoT opportunities.
The most common complaint I hear against Electron is memory consumption. While I don't have any experience personally developing Electron apps, this has been my experience as a consumer...simple applications seem to need 125-150MB of memory minimum.
Main problem with it is the memory and CPU usage (chromium / any browser problem) which can get insane, in addition its a bit slow.
Second is that I prefer coding in C# than JS (TS is ok), as you said can be solved with combining them
I can totally understand that memory usage might be an issue, but most developers are using VSCode daily with no problem... I think 200MB memory usage isn't a big problem today.
Aside from all that, building UI in HTML and CSS is really favorable in many ways.
Versatile software engineer with a background in .NET consulting and CMS development. Working on regaining my embedded development skills to get more involved with IoT opportunities.
I guess it comes down to the value the app adds...in the case of VS Code, it's my favorite text editor so I'm willing to pay the price. On my desktop and work laptops, I have enough memory that 95% of the time, it isn't an issue. But with my 2013 MacBook Pro, which has 8GB of RAM soldered in and can never be updated, this is a dealbreaker for most applications. A lot of tools built with Electron seem to be aimed at developers, who likely have pretty powerful machines, but this isn't a luxury that everyone has in today's world.
I actually dislike the fact that PWAs / Electron apps are becoming the way to build cross platform apps.
For a while I thought Microsoft is planning to create a new cross platform, or make WPF cross platform or UWP (which is more limited and less chance of running on .NET 5 because of the Modern Windows runtime)
Then I understood that Microsoft embraces Xamarin.Forms and expects us to use it instead (and for mobile apps).
I also tried making a simple app but huge build times, over complication made me give up.
I think that right now is almost too late but just the right time to announce a cross platform XAML framework (Not Xamarin.Forms please) to run on .NET 5 and crush Electron!
What's the problem with Electron?
Why not embracing electron with .NET?
The most common complaint I hear against Electron is memory consumption. While I don't have any experience personally developing Electron apps, this has been my experience as a consumer...simple applications seem to need 125-150MB of memory minimum.
Main problem with it is the memory and CPU usage (chromium / any browser problem) which can get insane, in addition its a bit slow.
Second is that I prefer coding in C# than JS (TS is ok), as you said can be solved with combining them
@ssimontis , @themulti0
I can totally understand that memory usage might be an issue, but most developers are using VSCode daily with no problem... I think 200MB memory usage isn't a big problem today.
Aside from all that, building UI in HTML and CSS is really favorable in many ways.
I guess it comes down to the value the app adds...in the case of VS Code, it's my favorite text editor so I'm willing to pay the price. On my desktop and work laptops, I have enough memory that 95% of the time, it isn't an issue. But with my 2013 MacBook Pro, which has 8GB of RAM soldered in and can never be updated, this is a dealbreaker for most applications. A lot of tools built with Electron seem to be aimed at developers, who likely have pretty powerful machines, but this isn't a luxury that everyone has in today's world.
I can totally understand what you say... and you're right, I haven't encountered an app for normal users built with Electron 👌