Editor › Why a Browser?
Why does PhotoAIA run in a browser instead of as a desktop application?
Running in a browser buys zero install, a sandboxed process and one build that runs identically everywhere, at the cost of a memory ceiling below a native app and no arbitrary filesystem access. The direct consequence for privacy: editing happens on your device, and nothing about your document reaches a server unless you explicitly attach it to a bug report.
What a browser gives you
- Zero install — open a URL; no download, no admin rights, no per-OS package.
- A sandboxed process — the browser tab confines what the page can touch on the machine, rather than running with the access a native application would have.
- One build, every platform — the same code runs on Windows, macOS, Linux and Chromebooks with no separate packaging.
- GPU-accelerated compositing — layers are blended by a WebGL2 shader pipeline, with an automatic fallback to a plain 2D canvas renderer if WebGL2 is unavailable.
- Real work from browser APIs — createImageBitmap decodes imported images directly, instead of a slower Image-element-plus-canvas round trip.
What a browser costs you
- A memory ceiling — a browser tab has materially less addressable memory than a native application, which limits how large a document can get before it slows down.
- No arbitrary filesystem access — PhotoAIA opens files through the browser’s file picker; it cannot browse or watch a folder, or batch-open every file in a directory, the way a desktop app can.
- The first visit needs a network connection — the application itself has to be fetched once before it runs. After that, a service worker caches the app shell, so repeat loads work offline.
Where your files actually go
| Stage | What happens | Leaves your device? |
|---|---|---|
| Your file | Selected through the browser’s file picker and decoded in the page | No |
| Browser memory | Held as an immutable set of fixed-size tiles, not one flat buffer | No |
| GPU compositing | Tiles upload as textures; a WebGL2 pipeline blends them (2D canvas fallback if WebGL2 is unavailable) | No |
| Your disk | Save or Export writes a blob and triggers a normal browser download | No — download only |
| The only network arrows | Loading the page itself; opt-in analytics events (counts and enums, never file content); a bug-report attachment you choose to add on GitHub | Only those three, and two require your action |
The privacy consequence
Because editing runs entirely in page memory, PhotoAIA does not upload your documents, does not store them on a server, and does not use them to train any AI model. Nothing leaves your device unless you explicitly attach a file to a feedback or bug report.
Questions
- Does PhotoAIA need an internet connection to edit?
- Only to load the application the first time. A service worker then caches the app shell, so repeat visits work offline; editing, saving and exporting all happen on your device.
- Can PhotoAIA read files from my computer without me choosing them?
- No. It only sees files you explicitly open through the browser’s file picker or drag onto the window.