Feature Request: Creating a Desktop Application for Lichess

I was wondering if it was possible to create a deskop application of lichess using something like github's Electron Framework electron.atom.io/ I suspect it wouldn't be to hard as an Electron App is basically just a chrome browser with a node instance running in background, so creating a Desktop App shouldn't be too hard as you can just reuse most of the existing codebase.

Now why would you want to do that if you can just use lichess in the browser and most of it's functionalities require an internet connection anyway? The reason is especially the study feature.
I absolutely love lichess studies, but I keep coming back to using Chessbase mainly because my engine is running a lot faster there. As I understood it lichess is using a javascript implementation of Stockfish for the analysis, and for me this is just not fast enough (~800 knodes/s on lichess compared to 2000 knodes/s on my Chessbase stockfish). With Electron it would be possible to run Stockfish natively on the computer, thus enabling much better engine performance. This + the ability to run lichess studies offline, (maybe even adding the feature of opening pgn databases) would completely eliminate the need for me to use chessbase ever again.

Anyone else interested in Lichess for Desktop?

You could try something called a “browser”. I hear they are pretty useful.

That would be to much work for the developers.
But perhaps is an Engine Server for Linux/Windows possible that can use a local Engine with full speed in the browser.
But I think that is still to much work.
So you should just continuing use Chessbase. That's the easy way.

I agree with @Cuxhaven, it would be better just to create an option for using a local engine than creating a desktop version of Lichess.

#1 I agree, it would be cool if such an Electron-based browser for Lichess studies (using a local engine) could replace ChessBase!

#3 This is an interesting idea. I have now a minimal browser based application to create studies the way I like it ( chessapp.cleverapps.io/analysis/none ) ( not that lichess studies are bad, they are much more advanced than mine, just they don't support the book view of things I prefer ).

Currently I'm thinking about how I could use native engine analysis in my study instead of using lichess's analysis board or opening a separate application in the desktop.

Making the engine analysis a service ( very much like a database ) is definitely a very clean way of doing it for it is very transparent what is going on. You only have to teach the client how to make requests for analysis, and then how this is served is a separate issue, can be done in several ways, may be even lichess could provide an API for an engine server ( or even implement it, so you just make standardized API calls to lichess and get engine analysis in return ).

Lichess.org provides a free community service for people seeking a means to play chess. My understanding, it's development is not to become another chessbase or chess.com, but simply a place to play. It is open sourced. Use it to create.

I have a minimal working implementation of an engine server. It is compatible with my analysis web app, so if you visit

github.com/serversideapps/engineserver

and follow the instructions in the ReadMe, you should be able to analyze in the browser using a native engine running outside the browser.