May be an unpopular opinion, but: I do not want LibreOffice in my browser, my browser is already slow enough as it is for me.
What next? Blender in the browser? OS inside the browser? (Oh yeah, we already have that!)
What next? Blender in the browser? OS inside the browser? (Oh yeah, we already have that!)
It's also useful to be able to quickly send someone a link to collaborate on the document without needing them to install anything. Installing a separate app may not be possible for aging parents, people using shared computers (e.g., library or school computer), or organizations with restricted IT systems.
> Installing a separate app may not be possible for aging parents, people using shared computers (e.g., library or school computer), or organizations with restricted IT systems
This seems like a non-issue, too. If my grandma were to use the PC, I would be the one installing programs (or the OS) on it, and if I knew she wanted to open and edit documents, I would install LibreOffice. It is one of the programs I install on my parent's computer. You (or the IT staff) ensure tools are available; you install LibreOffice, similarly to how you would install a browser to begin with. For example IT staff are already responsible for installing and maintaining browsers. Adding productivity software to their responsibilities is a standard practice in professional environments.
Browser-based tools are a complement, not a replacement, and the push toward browser dependence should consider the trade-offs in performance, user experience and so forth. Using browsers for productivity tools may feel more convenient in very specific edge cases, but for most users and workplaces, the effort involved in installing and using native applications is negligible in comparison.
(I remember the old days when I used https://gobby.github.io with my friend to edit code together. It is a native program for editing documents (incl. code) together. Today you would probably use an extension to VS Code unless it supports it natively (no clue).)
I am pretty sure there are people on here who would be able to explain it better than I do.
Just because some people use the browser all the time, it does not mean that it should be the "OS". It is silly.
The only reason people build “apps” in the browser to begin with is because it simplifies the development for the engineering team. Easier to ship, easier to update, write once, etc. Sometimes the user benefits, but rarely.
The other problem I have is it blurs the lines between data on your machine (private) and data that is in the cloud. not everybody wants all their data in the cloud. When you’re working with a “app” in the web browser it’s not always clear.
And for what? A slower alternative to native apps because I am too lazy to click on "Open"? Sounds silly to me.
Interesting take. Usually web apps lower friction for users.
- no installations - no large binaries - collaborative - easy to adopt
I can't think of any (desktop) app that came out in recent years that specifically pitched "because native, we are better" and won. Sketch is a glaring example of a web app (figma) killing native (sketch)
Gen Z might think so but that’s because we’ve conditioned them to expect everything in a browser IMO, not because it’s actually complicated.
“no large binaries”, i agree browsers have an advantage here - somewhat. Most apps have large binaries because software development today is lazy. Companies typically use huge libraries for EVERYTHING and then their final binary gets bloated. For example 90% of apps (excluding games) could be 30mb or less. Stuff like analytics and user tracking, advertising libs, the list goes on.
Who says a native app can’t be collaborative? You can use http or websockets in a native app to push/pull data. That’s like saying social media apps aren’t collaborative.
I do agree some web apps are well executed. Figma is pretty good. Google docs and google maps are excellent. I have a few more that i genuinely enjoy using. That’s the _exception_ though.
Surely, my beloved Debian would be the much more perfect OS for everyone ;-)
Stll for some corporate use cases it has advantages
better security automatically updated