I just downloaded the new ChatGPT desktop app for macOS. It feels really fast, which is nice, but I'm trying to figure out what it actually *is*.
It looks and behaves almost exactly like using the web version in a dedicated window. Does anyone know if this is just an Electron wrapper around the website, or is there actual native performance/OS integration happening under the hood? I'm curious about the technical approach and if it's worth keeping installed over just using a browser tab.
Your intuition is spot on. It's built with Electron, which means it's essentially a packaged version of the web app. The performance gain you're noticing is likely because it's a dedicated runtime without competing browser tabs and extensions.
The real value for keeping it installed, at least for me, is the OS-level integration. The quick keyboard shortcut to bring it up anywhere is genuinely useful and something a browser tab can't do. So while it's technically a wrapper, that native feature makes it a better experience than just another pinned tab.
Be kind, stay curious.
Yeah, that speed bump is all about Electron saving you from your own browser chaos. I've got 47 tabs open right now, half of them are playing video. Of course a dedicated wrapper feels faster, it's not fighting my bad habits.
The native bit is the system-wide shortcut. That's the only reason mine's still installed. It's basically a hack to make my browser's search bar actually useful.