“Electron” is a name that can give even the most casual Mac users the jitters.
But thats because Electron appsarerunning in a web app, a Chromium-based web app disguised as an app.
And now Agile Bits, the developer of 1Password, isditching its official Mac app for Electron.
Slack
That doesnt sound so bad, so why are people so angry?
More Electrons, More Problems
Ozdemir hits right on the point.
The biggest problem with Electron, from a practical point of view, is it consumes your computers resources.
These browsers eat an absurd amount of your computers working memory, and also tax the CPU.
In short, your machine will run hotter and use more power, thereby draining your battery faster.
Developers dig Electron because its less work.
You only have to write the app once, and it works on every platform that supports Electron.
But perhaps you dont care about that.
That brings us to the secondand perhaps more importantreason Mac users dont like Electron.
Every computer platform has a look and feel.
On the Mac, dialog boxes all look the same.
Keyboard shortcuts are consistent across apps, the key brings up an apps preferences window, and so on.
Worse, Electron apps often behave nothing like their built-in counterparts.
And theres no standard preferences panelyou get a web page instead.
Why Developers Use It
Developers dig Electron because its less work.
You only have to write the app once, and it works on every platform that supports Electron.
Thats a significant boon when youre building a startup.
“This framework also provides for a rich user interface for the desktop apps built on it.”
Electron development is also easy for folks who already make web apps.
iPhone First
So why isnt Electron used on mobile, too?
The other reason is that Apple wont allow it.
The biggest problem with Electron, from a practical point of view, is it consumes your computers resources.
On iOS, Apple doesnt allow any apps to run their own web rendering engine.
That is, apps can only use WebKit, which is what powers Safari.
Even actual web browsers on iOSChrome, Firefox, Braveall use WebKit instead of their own tech.
Electron probably isnt going anywherenot while the web and mobile remain the primary platforms for services and apps.
Maybe stick with the officially supported apps where you’re free to.
