I don't think users care how software is deployed. (ie: does it live on the web or in their desktop?) But what looks dead to me is desktop-specific development.
With modern UI frameworks and Electron, you can deliver an app that looks "desktop" to the user but is written with standard, simple web technologies. Those apps interact with your peripherals and are indistinguishable from desktop apps.
The advantage to letting go of proprietary "desktop" software is that a single codebase can actually look and work the same on PCs, Macs, and Linux -- something no desktop provider has given us.
With modern UI frameworks and Electron, you can deliver an app that looks "desktop" to the user but is written with standard, simple web technologies. Those apps interact with your peripherals and are indistinguishable from desktop apps.
The advantage to letting go of proprietary "desktop" software is that a single codebase can actually look and work the same on PCs, Macs, and Linux -- something no desktop provider has given us.