> However as a developer and as a software business owner/investor, it's (much) better to write web apps.
Why do you say that?
Why do you say that?
User does not need to worry about dependencies and libraries - they just need to make sure they're running a somewhat up-to-date version of a modern browser.
Users are not tied to a single device either.
I basically had no users for one of my desktop apps for seven years, till I ported it to mobile and put it in the normal app store
- control over your software and updates
- no one can pirate your software/service
As for 'pirating', is that a serious concern these days? I've only ever heard about it being an issue at big companies selling software to other big companies, where it's solved with "license servers".
It means they can break a program I'm using at any moment they wish, even after I paid for it.
Huh? Given how most web applications these days are using client-side rendering there's nothing stopping someone from just downloading all of the frontend assets. You can also connect to a server from your desktop application so I don't understand how desktop makes it easier to pirate anything.
Proprietary desktop applications are usually downloaded after a payment, and then the full software is available locally. By hacking the security parts of it one can then have a totally free version and distribute it. That's why it is easier to pirate.
Games and even productivity apps are known to be moving small pieces to their servers so that you cannot run the entire application on your own...
> That's why it is easier to pirate.
There are no technical reasons why a desktop application is inherently easier to pirate. Only implementation details.