Your metaphor isn't really accurate. Atom is not a browser, is a glorified notepad. The fact that internally it uses VP8 or anything else doesn't matter (neither should) to the user.
The user expect it to open in the blink of an eye, no matter what, and it can be done for this kind of program as alternatives in the same league show. If it isn't possible at all with the underlying technology, that was a bad technological choice. However I wouldn't worry so soon, there is a lot of space to optimize, the project is young.
> Your metaphor isn't really accurate. Atom is not a browser, is a glorified notepad.
Ok, let's try another one:
Atom is an IDE like XCode is an IDE. I don't expect XCode to start up "in the blink of an eye" although I do expect opening a _file_ to take a blink of an eye.
That is the behavior I reported: Atom itself doesn't start up quickly, but loading a new file/window is < 1 second, which I what I'd expect from any editor.
So again, I don't see the issue the OP is referring to. Not to say it isn't there on other machines/configurations, but it isn't an issue for me.
The user expect it to open in the blink of an eye, no matter what, and it can be done for this kind of program as alternatives in the same league show. If it isn't possible at all with the underlying technology, that was a bad technological choice. However I wouldn't worry so soon, there is a lot of space to optimize, the project is young.