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Comment by ralusek | Hacker News Reader

I DESPISE having to install or even run desktop applications for anything that can be done in a browser.

For simple tasks yes, but just because it can be done in a browser doesn't mean it should. Native applications can provide performance optimizations that you wouldn't get in a web app. Would you rather play a realistic flight sim natively or in your browser?

I'd rather play it in a browser, even if it's much worse.

With the browser version, I can just open my browser and point to the URL and run it. Easy.

With a native app, this usually means I'd have to go buy a new computer running Windows or MacOS just to run this one stupid application, because I don't have either of those OSes at home. Of course, I'm not going to do that, which means I just don't use the app at all.

support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/204206269-Installing-Zoom-on-Linux

Then you're not most people. The desktop apps are faster, more reliable and more convenient for the vast majority of business users who just want it to work.

Not when they’re just electron apps like what sadly most of these productivity apps end up being.

Sure, but that's not what Zoom is.

Agreed. Alibaba asks anyone who has meetings with them to install their proprietary meeting software which is only available on Mac/Win. No thanks.

Most non-tech people just blindly drink the poison and install it.

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