Electron

I was really pleased to see the twitter news about a new version and downloaded it right away. Seconds after opening it the first time, something felt strange and I head over to this forum, hit ⌘+F and typed “electron” in hope it won't show any results. So here we are :-(

I completely understand why developers love Electron. From a user perspective it feels like a good movie with autotranslated, computerized voiceover and all animated characters with no soul – just the initial idea/storybook is identical.

In my opinion everything is wrong about the Electon approach if your company consists of more then two developers and you are serious about a platform. The relationship between developers and users on the Mac is special. 1P8 does not fulfill the “it just works” approach for me.

TBH, I just looked up the date, when I need to cancel my subscription. I'm a user since day 1 and still suffer from the move to the web extension (missing htaccess-autofill …).

Thats so sad because 1P is all about security and I don’t want to compromise on that side.

I really hope you reconcider your choice.

Best regards
Chriz

@Qriz:

I completely understand why developers love Electron.

I'm a developer and can't resist to object here. And the developers I know agree that Electron is a bad idea in general.
(Some Web Developers might object here: "It's great that I can do apps as well now!")

I hate Electron, or more precisely badly written apps in Electron. That being said, I installed the beta + beta ext. on every browser and :
- I like the look of it (I always hated the small search...)
- It seems to work
- the lag when using the safari ext. is annoying, fix this pronto guys...
- I was already using the v8 on Windows so I'm not surprised.

Now, let's be clear: I understand it's a beta and I'll wait until you decide it's "done". Then I'll decide if I'm a happy customer. Simple. No hate, no angry post here. I'm a customer since the v2 and a journalist pushing 1P for years, and the deal is simple: fuck this up, at this price per year, and I think it will be a nice gift to bitwarden... And I really don't want you to fail here because I don't look forward for a migration with OTP, etc. ;)

I'm going to hold my hands up and admit that I have not tried the v8 beta app. My password database is too important to risk with betas, but after reading this thread I wanted to add my voice as another long-time and discontented user.

And apologies - this turned out to be longer thank I originally intended. It is because I care. A lot.

1Password was the very first application that I bought for macOS when I bought my first MacBook about 10 years ago. It is the first thing I install when I upgrade, and the first application I recommend to new macOS and iOS users. Acknowledging that what we are talking about here is a first beta release and that things will changer, I suspect that is about to change.

Based on the information shared so far, Electron is just one component. There is the new Rust backend which, although I appreciate and understand the technical implications, means nothing to me when I put my Average End User hat on.

What does affect me is the Electron frontend. I cannot count how many times a day I call on 1Password. If all of those times are going to give me repeated paper cuts because of the Electron Experience then I am not interested, at all.

The issues shared by others in this thread echo my experiences with other Electron apps on Mac. They are what they are - web UIs bounded by the window that contains them, and you end up with components that you cannot see until you make the window large enough (which might not be possible with long lists and, say, a 13" MacBook display), and right-click menus that look native on top of a UI that is very much not.

It doesn't matter if the backend is native. That is not my interface. The UI is. And, frankly, Electron sucks. It is a terrible user experience everywhere, not just on Mac.

Electron turns an app from being a Mac-Assed App into Just Another Electron App. I have many examples of MAAs that I could share, including the current 1Password. I can not think of any Electron app that makes me go "Wow - that Just Works, and Just Works exactly as I expect it to". (Obsidian might just squeeze in, but I would give my back teeth for a fully native version.) I can, however, point at many that fail to render parts of the UI, or have scrolling issues, or occasionally fail to load anything but a blank screen because who-knows-why?

And it seems that this is happening with 1Password. In the name of Developer convenience and efficiency the UI is moving to Electron. It is going to make it easier to deliver updates across all the supported platforms in good time with less effort.

That's great for AgileBits. Not so great for me.

One of the reasons given for this change is support for older versions of MacOS. I seem to recall that we have been here before, possibly with the transition from v5 to v6. At that time the older version was kept around for a while to support older versions of MacOS. Yes there are overheads with maintaining those older versions. So set a deadline for updates, give people time to upgrade, and then move on. You just landed another $100,000,000 with the Series B so there is money in the bank to support that.

And in the meantime, get a Mac-native SwiftUI v8 app working. We will wait. We know that it will be worth it.

Otherwise this will be done at the expense of a long-term, very passionate user-base who have supported AgileBits since day one, and helped the business get to a point where it can deliver a fantastic application on multiple platforms.

Another thing that concerns me is that it seems that the browser integration is headed down the 1PasswordX route. I have tried the 1PasswordX extension many times, and it is a horrid experience when compared with the Classic/Mini extension. TouchID fails to trigger. Or it triggers and doesn't work. Or it triggers once and never again and I have to re-type my 1Password password every time I want to Autofill a password. And then it fails to find the right password. Or to give me the option to choose from the alternatives I may have (personal vs work accounts on the same websites, for example).

Forcing me down that path on its own would be enough to have me consider cancelling my subscription. In combination with moving to the Electron UI, a cancellation almost certain.

I am not going to jump into a cancellation yet. My Family sub is valid until early 2022 so I have time to see how this works out.

But while you're working on this, listen to your users. We love 1Password and we want that to continue.

Unfortunately I am expecting some future heartbreak and a move to Keychain in iOS15 and Monterey, even if I lose a whole pile of useful features from 1Password (and there are many that I would miss) because I am not going to deal with the hundreds of daily UI paper cuts that seem to be heading my way.

(Why Keychain? I've taken a look at all the popular alternatives to 1Password over the last few days. They all have similar issues to those being discussed in this thread re non-native UIs and behaviour. When 1Password goes Electron there will not be a Mac-native app that Just Works for me, so Keychain it may be.)

Thanks for reading this far. I hope it was useful.

I hate Electron, or more precisely badly written apps in Electron. That being said, I installed the beta + beta ext. on every browser and :
- I like the look of it (I always hated the small search...)
- It seems to work
- the lag when using the safari ext. is annoying, fix this pronto guys...
- I was already using the v8 on Windows so I'm not surprised.

Now, let's be clear: I understand it's a beta and I'll wait until you decide it's "done". Then I'll decide if I'm a happy customer. Simple. No hate, no angry post here. I'm a customer since the v2 and a journalist pushing 1P for years, and the deal is simple: fuck this up, at this price per year, and I think it will be a nice gift to bitwarden... And I reall

I think it looks great and works great so far! I don't really care what underlying tool are used as long as it works efficiently.

I know some Electron apps are bad (Microsoft Teams), but it does not mean all Electron apps are bad. They just need to be used effectively. People need to get off their high horses....

I'm going to hold my hands up and admit that I have not tried the v8 beta app. My password database is too important to risk with betas, but after reading this thread I wanted to add my voice as another long-time and discontented user.

And apologies - this turned out to be longer thank I originally intended. It is because I care. A lot.

1Password was the very first application that I bought for macOS when I bought my first MacBook about 10 years ago. It is the first thing I install when I upgrade, and the first application I recommend to new macOS and iOS users. Acknowledging that what we are talking about here is a first beta release and that things will changer, I suspect that is about to change.

Based on the information shared so far, Electron is just one component. There is the new Rust backend which, although I appreciate and understand the technical implications, means nothing to me when I put my Average End User hat on.

What does affect me is the Electron frontend. I cannot count how many times a day I call on 1Password. If all of those times are going to give me repeated paper cuts because of the Electron Experience then I am not interested, at all.

The issues shared by others in this thread echo my experiences with other Electron apps on Mac. They are what they are - web UIs bounded by the window that contains them, and you end up with components that you cannot see until you make the window large enough (which might not be possible with long lists and, say, a 13" MacBook display), and right-click menus that look native on top of a UI that is very much not.

It doesn't matter if the backend is native. That is not my interface. The UI is. And, frankly, Electron sucks. It is a terrible user experience everywhere, not just on Mac.

Electron turns an app from being a Mac-Assed App into Just Another Electron App. I have many examples of MAAs that I could share, including the current 1Password. I can not think of any Electron app that makes me go "Wow - that Just Works, and Just Works exactly as I expect it to". (Obsidian might just squeeze in, but I would give my back teeth for a fully native version.) I can, however, point at many that fail to render parts of the UI, or have scrolling issues, or occasionally fail to load anything but a blank screen because who-knows-why?

And it seems that this is happening with 1Password. In the name of Developer convenience and efficiency the UI is moving to Electron. It is going to make it easier to deliver updates across all the supported platforms in good time with less effort.

That's great for AgileBits. Not so great for me.

One of the reasons given for this change is support for older versions of MacOS. I seem to recall that we have been here before, possibly with the transition from v5 to v6. At that time the older version was kept around for a while to support older versions of MacOS. Yes there are overheads with maintaining those older versions. So set a deadline for updates, give people time to upgrade, and then move on. You just landed another $100,000,000 with the Series B so there is money in the bank to support that.

And in the meantime, get a Mac-native SwiftUI v8 app working. We will wait. We know that it will be worth it.

Otherwise this will be done at the expense of a long-term, very passionate user-base who have supported AgileBits since day one, and helped the business get to a point where it can deliver a fantastic application on multiple platforms.

Another thing that concerns me is that it seems that the browser integration is headed down the 1PasswordX route. I have tried the 1PasswordX extension many times, and it is a horrid experience when compared with the Classic/Mini extension. TouchID fails to trigger. Or it triggers and doesn't work. Or it triggers once and never again and I have to re-type my 1Password password every time I want to Autofill a password. And then it fails to find the right password. Or to give me the option to choose from the alternatives I may have (personal vs work accounts on the same websites, for example).

Forcing me down that path on its own would be enough to have me consider cancelling my subscription. In combination with moving to the Electron UI, a cancellation almost certain.

I am not going to jump into a cancellation yet. My Family sub is valid until early 2022 so I have time to see how this works out.

But while you're working on this, listen to your users. We love 1Password, and we want that to continue.

Unfortunately I am expecting some future heartbreak and a move to Keychain in iOS15 and Monterey, even if I lose a whole pile of useful features from 1Password (and there are many that I would miss) because I am not going to deal with the hundreds of daily UI paper cuts that seem to be heading my way.

(Why Keychain? I've taken a look at all the popular alternatives to 1Password over the last few days. They all have similar issues to those being discussed in this thread re non-native UIs and behaviour. When 1Password goes Electron there will not be a Mac-native app that Just Works for me, so Keychain it may be.)

Thanks for reading this far. I hope it was useful.

People are voicing their opinions out. Stop insulting them by insinuating they don't know what they are talking about. You think it looks great, works great, that is your opinion. Share it with the world. No one stops you. But don't go demeaning others by asking them to get off their high horses. If anything, you make it look like you are the one who needs to get off one.

For what 1Password is charging (which I've so far been happy to pay), they shouldn't be cutting corners or offering less from one version to the next.

I hate Electron, or more precisely badly written apps in Electron. That being said, I installed the beta + beta ext. on every browser and :
- I like the look of it (I always hated the small search...)
- It seems to work
- the lag when using the safari ext. is annoying, fix this pronto guys...
- I was already using the v8 on Windows so I'm not surprised.
- Where is my auto Apple Watch unlock?

Now, let's be clear: I understand it's a beta and I'll wait until you decide it's "done". Then I'll decide if I'm a happy customer. Simple. No hate, no angry post here. I'm a customer since the v2 and a journalist pushing 1P for years, and the deal is simple: f. this up, at this price per year, and I think it will be a nice gift to bitwarden... And I really don't look forward any migration to this ugly service. That is using Electron too! But, at a price in line with that crappy tech. :P