OpenAsar/faq.md

# OpenAsar FAQ

### What is an asar?
An asar is a format for [Electron](https://electronjs.org), commonly used for the first part of apps as `app.asar`. Discord's `app.asar` includes various parts like:
- Updater
- Bootstrapping main part of the app
- Some crash and error reporting
- Splash screen

*OpenAsar* is an open-source alternative / rewrite / etc of Discord's `app.asar` which hopes to bring the various features outlined in the readme.

### Does OpenAsar support X mod?
Most likely, yes! OpenAsar is known to widely support BD, PC, GM, and others. It's very unlikely to cause any issues with your mods.

### This didn't speed up Discord that much for me?
If OpenAsar wasn't that much faster (in term of startup time) you likely already have a good PC. OpenAsar speeds up most for lower-end PCs, especially those without an SSD. You will likely still notice a subtle (~1.2x) difference.

### How does OpenAsar make the client "snappier" / more performant?
OpenAsar optimizes Chromium (the web engine / browser Discord uses) to help increase performance, mostly rendering, which looks like it helps makes most (~90%) people's clients looking noticeably snappier / faster generally. This is most noticeable with things like scrolling quickly, switching channels, and with various animations like tooltips for servers in the sidebar plus settings opening / closing.

### How is this so fast?
The main speed increase (default options) is mostly accidental / coincidental (not intended) as it is mostly a side effect of rewriting it.

### How is this so small?
Compared to Discord's original, OpenAsar is <2% of the size. This is because when rewriting we remove NPM dependencies with our own custom code for more performance and efficiency. These are replaced with custom polyfills (compatible replacements).

### What is Quickstart?
Quickstart "skips" a few Discord features like the splash screen and waiting for updates in favour of speed. It is currently experimental and not fully recommended for normal use.

### Is this 100% original?
No, and depends on your definition. By original if you mean all of this is rewritten, the vast majority (~90%) is self-rewritten or modified in some way. If you mean original by design, etc. - no, as we have to follow Discord APIs to maintain compatibility.

### Can I use this in *my* project?
Sure. Just make sure to properly [respect the license](LICENSE) and clearly / transparently credit.
[FAQ] Initial Add 2021-12-13 07:23:50 +00:00			`# OpenAsar FAQ`

			`### What is an asar?`
			An asar is a format for [Electron](https://electronjs.org), commonly used for the first part of apps as `app.asar`. Discord's `app.asar` includes various parts like:
			`- Updater`
			`- Bootstrapping main part of the app`
			`- Some crash and error reporting`
			`- Splash screen`

			OpenAsar is an open-source alternative / rewrite / etc of Discord's `app.asar` which hopes to bring the various features outlined in the readme.

[FAQ] Add snappier info, reorder some 2021-12-21 23:11:47 +00:00			`### Does OpenAsar support X mod?`
			`Most likely, yes! OpenAsar is known to widely support BD, PC, GM, and others. It's very unlikely to cause any issues with your mods.`

			`### This didn't speed up Discord that much for me?`
			`If OpenAsar wasn't that much faster (in term of startup time) you likely already have a good PC. OpenAsar speeds up most for lower-end PCs, especially those without an SSD. You will likely still notice a subtle (~1.2x) difference.`

			`### How does OpenAsar make the client "snappier" / more performant?`
			`OpenAsar optimizes Chromium (the web engine / browser Discord uses) to help increase performance, mostly rendering, which looks like it helps makes most (~90%) people's clients looking noticeably snappier / faster generally. This is most noticeable with things like scrolling quickly, switching channels, and with various animations like tooltips for servers in the sidebar plus settings opening / closing.`

[FAQ] Initial Add 2021-12-13 07:23:50 +00:00			`### How is this so fast?`
[FAQ] Add some more commonly asked questions 2021-12-19 21:18:06 +00:00			`The main speed increase (default options) is mostly accidental / coincidental (not intended) as it is mostly a side effect of rewriting it.`

			`### How is this so small?`
			`Compared to Discord's original, OpenAsar is <2% of the size. This is because when rewriting we remove NPM dependencies with our own custom code for more performance and efficiency. These are replaced with custom polyfills (compatible replacements).`
[FAQ] Initial Add 2021-12-13 07:23:50 +00:00
			`### What is Quickstart?`
[FAQ] Add snappier info, reorder some 2021-12-21 23:11:47 +00:00			`Quickstart "skips" a few Discord features like the splash screen and waiting for updates in favour of speed. It is currently experimental and not fully recommended for normal use.`
[FAQ] Add originality question 2021-12-13 11:06:15 +00:00
			`### Is this 100% original?`
[Docs] Update with latest info 2022-04-03 16:18:43 +00:00			`No, and depends on your definition. By original if you mean all of this is rewritten, the vast majority (~90%) is self-rewritten or modified in some way. If you mean original by design, etc. - no, as we have to follow Discord APIs to maintain compatibility.`

			`### Can I use this in my project?`
			`Sure. Just make sure to properly [respect the license](LICENSE) and clearly / transparently credit.`