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Comment by tannhaeuser | Hacker News Reader

It probably won't save the world, but we developers sure could do more to save energy and not requiring ridiculous hardware resources for what seems like merely gradual improvements over the 90s, with all the chemicals for processing and in batteries, and with all the waste. By this time, we could've achieved long-lived solar-powered mobiles with B/W LCDs. I remember text processing software being pitched as paper-saving devices.

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You mean like Proof of Work mining?

I a more generalist sense just things like using Electron vs native toolkits matter. The desktop Discord app is going to use substantially more power to run day to day than if it were a native code app that just used something like C++, and across millions of gamers for hours a night every night those resource requirements and power demands add up.

It isn't always just "average hardware is faster so use more inefficient frameworks to lower time to market". Using those shortcuts to ship makes sense, but it should then be a long term goal to reel in those expensive abstractions once you can start counting the amount of power your software is using on a regular basis by whole power plants required to keep your code running on a daily basis.

Presenting "not using Electron" as a significant way to reduce our impact on the environment has to be the most HN thing I ever read.

Javascript is ruining the environment. Everyone should switch to Rust, and compile all apps to web assembly. Also, blockchain.

No, blockchains are bad for the environment.

I wonder how many user-hours of Electron vs native replacing your development machine every five years instead of every two would buy.

Currently, single decimal place digit kWh/person. Now the improvement in power supply tech and using laptop components saves you about as much. (say 0.1 kWh/person to 0.04 kWh/person)

On personal level, using a vacuum flask to boil your coffee should save more.

Cars are much more expensive thanks to materials. There, longer cycle is a major saving.

Considering how much energy cryptocurrency mining sucks up I would say we would be in a much better place environment-wise if it was curtailed immensely. Unfortunately I can't see that happening any time soon.

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