When Code is Free, Why is Claude is an Electron app?

3 days ago

Electron allows building desktop apps using web technologies (HTML, CSS, JS) that support multiple platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux).
Electron apps are bloated, laggy, and don't integrate well with OS features, but the benefits of a single codebase outweigh these downsides.
Coding agents can theoretically replace Electron by generating native apps from a single spec, but they struggle with the last 10% of development and edge cases.
Anthropic's Rust-based C compiler example shows that coding agents excel at initial development but falter in finalizing and maintaining robust, real-world applications.
Maintaining three native apps (Mac, Windows, Linux) increases bug and support overhead compared to a single Electron app.
Despite advancements in coding agents, Electron remains practical due to the challenges of finalizing development and managing cross-platform support.

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