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Add to SafariWhen comparing Qt / C++ vs Javascript / GitHub Electron, the Slant community recommends Qt / C++ for most people. In the question“What are the best languages to write a desktop Linux application in?” Qt / C++ is ranked 3rd while Javascript / GitHub Electron is ranked 17th. The most important reason people chose Qt / C++ is:
Professional, thorough documentation with examples, available either in a web browser or in the stand-alone desktop client called assistant.
Specs
Question Ranking
Pros
Pro Good documentation
Professional, thorough documentation with examples, available either in a web browser or in the stand-alone desktop client called assistant.
Pro Portable
Linux, BSD, Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, Blackberry ... Qt has 'em all.
Pro Global community
The community behind Qt is both massive and approachable. Digia (also owners) are joined by the likes of Intel, KDAB, ICS, Canonical and numerous others in sponsoring development, while communities such as KDE also contribute significantly. Forums are active, mailing lists are open, irc channels chatting, git repositories well managed. Answers to questions are usually minutes away.
Pro QML
QML is "HTML5 done right": a declarative language that integrates beautifully with C++ code when necessary and exposes the power of the GPU ... simply the best way to create a modern GUI in terms of effort and results.
Pro LGPL license
Pro Open Source
Qt is licensed under a OSS license through a dual-license policy.
Pro Works on Linux, Windows, Mac
Being powered by Javascript, apps build with Electron can be packed to run on all 3 platforms.
Pro Wide spread support
Javascript is a very easy language to learn, and is handy for all manner of other things. There's a good chance you already know it, or that you will need to know it in the future.
Pro WebApps without additional work
If you don't require native features and could write a web app (i.e. a website with dynamic elements), then you could just extend it and turn it into a native app. This means that people just need to type your URL to use you app and may get more by downloading and installing it.
Cons
Con Not free/expensive
Free version is limited and prohibitive.
Con Low performance
Electron applications use significantly more CPU, RAM, and disk space than applications written in almost any other framework. This results in poor battery life as well as an unpleasant user experience.
Con Backwards incompatibility between versions
Electron is growing and constantly changing, but there is no care whatsoever whether the changes in a new version will break your application or not. Even if you write and maintain one app, changes to how Electron handles JS files and functions will make maintenance of a single app your full time job. Even the development process, programming mindset and tooling changes between versions, so there is no guarantee that your app will even have a proper architecture a year from when you've built it.
