This is such a hilariously bad take. I like how "I can't use Win32 on Linux" morphed into "re-write the whole app in Javascript just so I can use Electron."

Meanwhile, Wine and QT are like: "am I a joke to you?"

I'll add that (IMO) a lot of applications are becoming increasingly malicious, although less-so in the desktop space. I'm happy that devs like this are forced to quasi-sandbox their crap into a browser. Actually, if anyone knows how to crack into an Electron app in order to restore local plugins, user-scripts, and sandbox security controls, let me know. Or just liberate the guts into a local web app instead so I can use a real browser? This trend could be very useful for local security if those features become available.

I'm almost certain Musk has 120mil in loose change, hiding in his couch.

unfucking postfix

This is not a task for the feint of heart, nor was it ever, even back when the technology was first invented. I salute you.

Officer, it's this comment, right here.

I'm going to call it like I saw it, a very long time ago.

You have a product that is basically purpose built to make data hoarding and piracy practical, yet it requires a login with a central service. I don't care what justification anyone thinks makes that worthwhile or even a good compromise. Signaling to any corporate entity that you're in possession of such a thing is a bad idea to begin with. They shouldn't even know you exist. That information, along with anything else you do with the product is compromising to you and can be sold for money if aggregated with everyone else's data.

If you find this rant out of place in our modern world, I'd like to point to the concept of shifting baselines. This didn't used to be normal and nothing short of greed continues the behavior. The technology before this ran/runs without anyone knowing. Consider VLC, or XBMC.

While true, there's a little more nuance to it than this.

Unchecked capitalism has one key tennant: exploit everything.

This doesn't stop with equating work to worth. It's more like "create an environment where people have no recourse but to surrender their time." Compensation is merely a necessity brought on by so many potential employers competing in the labor market this creates. Beyond that, your every other resource and basic need is also under target for exploitation; both the need of a thing and for merely having it.

I feel seen, thank you. It's been years of this.

I'm seeing this the other way around. It's possible the normalization is incidental: the comic exists because it's a common interaction these days.

At the same time, the comic is from the New Yorker. Magazines have a different attitude about advertising in general, so (IMO) this is as anti-ad as a magazine comic can get away with.

I was gonna say: I have no idea what this is like.

I'm simultaneously living my best life, (mostly) ad free, and at once unaware of how the rest of the world navigates an ad-encrusted digital space.

To quote your quote:

I got the product launched. It worked. I was proud of what I’d created. Then came the moment that validated every concern in that MIT study: I needed to make a small change and realized I wasn’t confident I could do it. My own product, built under my direction, and I’d lost confidence in my ability to modify it.

I think the author just independently rediscovered "middle management". Indeed, when you delegate the gruntwork under your responsibility, those same people are who you go to when addressing bugs and new requirements. It's not on you to effect repairs: it's on your team. I am Jack's complete lack of surprise. The idea that relying on AI to do nuanced work like this and arrive at the exact correct answer to the problem, is naive at best. I'd be sweating too.

Same here. At first, I thought I was going to get a better Discord experience with the dedicated 'app'. Nope. Another web app crammed into Electron, multiplying the overall browser footprint on my system. It now happily lives on in a normal browser tab where my ad blockers and user-scripts claw back local control of things.

There's a hidden advantage here apart from moving away from Microsoft, or having 1st party controller support.

Game devs will have a precise target to optimize for.

If enough steam machines and steam decks are out there, it simplifies porting software since you have a handful of fixed targets to hit. A studio could easily buy a few of these appliances for testing and development, and know for certain the product will run as intended. It's a luxury currently enjoyed by consoles, and it really does help their dominance in their respective niches.

This also helps smaller studios since the bare minimum means targeting a known steam platform, rather than pulling machine specs out of thin air and taking their best shot. It's a much easier problem to solve and takes a lot less time and money.

I think there will always be room for high-end gaming, but as long as you're "steam machine 2025 compatible" or whatever, you know what you're going to get.