alt Hacker NewsPrograms written in Java require installation of a middleware called Java runtime. It adds extra friction for end-users. And even if one has Java runtime installed, a newer version may be necessary for a recently-published application.
With WASM it may be the same, unless al major OS vendors integrate a WASM runtime so that it doesn't need to be installed separately.
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> Programs written in Java require installation of a middleware called Java runtime. It's possible to link or embed a Java runtime in an existing application.
> It adds extra friction for end-users
It doesn't have to, the program can bundle its own jre as its often the case, and then you also don't have to worry about jre compatibility. Downside is then you have many jres installed and of course you can't trust their sandboxing.
It is exactly the same for WASM outside of the browser, and Java has Android as counter part to built in runtime.