Electron apps are ruining the Windows 11 experience, and even the JavaScript creator has warned against ‘rushed web UX over native,’ but it doesn’t look like that will change Microsoft’s plans. In a post on X and other places, Microsoft reaffirmed its commitment to AI in Windows 11 and encouraged Electron developers to consider using AI in their apps.

“Calling all Electron developers: ready to bring on-device AI experiences into your Electron apps,” Microsoft posted on X, and added that it’s training developers how to build Electron experiences using Windows on-device AI.

It’s quite obvious that Electron is not going away on Windows 11, as many popular apps, including Discord, use Electron, despite the fact that it consumes more memory than other frameworks. And if you wonder why, it’s because an Electron app typically bundles an instance of Chromium, which is notorious for RAM usage.

Microsoft pitches Windows 11 as an AI OS. That means the company plans to make Windows the best operating system for running AI apps or Agents.

At the same time, Microsoft understands that Electron is not going away on Windows 11. It cannot sideline AI efforts for the RAM-hungry framework, which is why the company wants developers to add more Windows AI features to those apps rather than avoid the framework altogether.

Microsoft lays the foundation for building AI apps using Electron

In a support document, Microsoft says Electron apps can now use Windows 11’s built-in text generation, summarization, OCR, and image description features. Of course, these features work only on new PCs that come with Copilot+ PC branding or an NPU chip, but the idea is to help devs with new sample projects and tools.

“A common follow-up question from Electron developers has been: ‘How can we build similar on-device AI experiences in our Electron apps?’ Microsoft argues.

Windows Latest also observed that Microsoft is really selling the idea that developers do not need to go native, and can keep using Electron if they prefer. Microsoft has mentioned ‘native’ code about eight times in the support document to make a point that devs can tap into Windows 11 features without abandoning JavaScript.

For example, the company says Electron devs do not need to “compile a single line of native code” to add Windows AI features, such as text generation, summarization, writing, image description, and more.

Windows 11 has an Electron problem, and Microsoft needs to acknowledge it

At this point, it looks like everyone, except Microsoft, realizes that its heavy push of web, especially Electron, has contributed to a poor Windows experience.

On macOS, there’s a native WhatsApp. On the other hand, Meta abandoned its native app for Windows 11 in favour of Electron because it does not see the point of maintaining native code.

Discord has also openly admitted that its Windows app is a resource hog, and it has rolled out a feature that allows the app to restart itself when RAM usage exceeds 4GB.

The creator of JavaScript is not happy with rushed web adoption for apps

Last year, Brendan Eich, who created JavaScript and is currently the CEO of Brave, suggested that Microsoft really needs to do something about the bloat on Windows due to the “rushed” adoption of web apps, including Electron.

The statement is coming from somebody who not only built JavaScript but was also involved in Mozilla’s webOS project.

“The buried lede is “Windows 11 has a bigger problem, and it’s WebView2 or Electron,” Brendan Eich wrote in a X post last year when he shared Windows Latest’s story.

“As a b2g (FirefoxOS) cofounder, also connected to webOS folks in the day, I’m against bloat due to rushed use of Web UX over native. It can be done right; it takes time.”

We can’t expect web apps to disappear overnight, and it totally makes sense to use a web framework when devs are building for multiple platforms.

It’s not like web apps are inherently horrible, but they need to be done right, and optimized for performance or a native-like experience if they are going to be forced upon.

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