electron-ghu.txt

Atom team Houses Electron

What is it?
  Atom is githubs open source text editor. The dream with atom was to build it
  with web technology, but no tools existed. Chang (node web kit). January 2013
  Electron began. OS'd May 2014. April 2015 it was split out.

  Framework to build cross platform desktop applications with web technology.

  Chromium is the OS Chrome Browser.
  Combines: Chromium Content Library (rendering webpages) + Node.js = Single runtime
    They both use the v8 engine.

  YOU ONLY SUPPORT LATEST V8 FEATURES!

  Access to the filesystem, databases, all of npm, etc!

  Package for mac/linux/windows. Native system UI! :D

  Squireel - automatic updates or something!

  TW

how we came to build it

  TWO PROCESSES
    main
      lifecycle of application.. starting app.. ending app
      it comes with modules built for main process
        dialog (open file dialog/etc)
        menu - system level menus
        ipc - it's just an event node though!
        browser windows - has it's own process

    renderer process
      it also has modules
      node api!
      dom!
      ipc module
      multiple processes!
        not always visible!
        good for background tasks/farming
      similar to tabs in chrome

examples
  atom
  slack
  google play - desktop player!
  mongotron - desktop mongo editor!
  kakapo - An open source ambient sound mixer

how you interact with it

  live coding!