我会说.hta应用程序过时他们不支持现代设计标准。你仍然可以使用它们，或者使用另一个HTML编译器，比如David Esperalta的，它对于非常简单的应用程序来说已经足够了，但是它们都依赖于IE，而且我们都知道它是多么的有限和缓慢。

现代选择：

• NW.js （以前称为node-webkit）
  
• 电子，我个人使用和推荐。

这两个选项均基于 Chromium （与Chrome相同）， Node.js 和V8。他们支持 HTML5，CSS3 和最新的JavaScript引擎，包括最新的 ECMAScript 功能和超越！

因为它们使用 node.js ，所以可以使用它的任何一个内置库（如FileSystem）或 npm软件包在您的DOM中！

npm注册表托管超过25万个可重复使用的代码包 - 最大的代码注册表

这两个选项都是免费且开源的，但是电子支持ffmpeg编解码器而不需要下载或构建。

您的应用程序将是100％独立的，您可以为Windows，macOS和Linux构建相同的应用程序。

电子也可以提供简单的解决方案来自动编译和使用CoffeeScript，Babel，LESS，SASS等。

I want to convert a webpage html5/js page to a desktop application. Something they can use on their desktop without a live internet connection. (I do not want to recode my html5 or js.)

If the end user has Internet Explorer installed, I can easily port this to an hta file. However, what if they are using Vista or above and have uninstalled Internet Explorer (as you are permitted to do)? What if their main browser is Firefox or Chrome?

I was searching around for Firefox, and it seemed Prism was an alternative to hta files, but if you go to Mozilla's Prism page it says it is a technology that is no longer being pursued.

So I have several questions:

1. Is the hta file still a modern technology for Internet Explorer which is still going to work in IE9, IE10?
2. Will hta files, with no security issues or local access issues, automatically fire up Firefox/Chrome if IE is not installed on Windows (or other operating systems)?
3. Can I add some of html5's local storage stuff to my hta file and will it still work on IE, FF and Chrome?
4. If these things will not work on FF or Chrome, do they have any alternatives which are modern and are not deprecated techs?

I'd say that .hta applications are way out of date since they don't support modern design standards. you can still use them or use another HTML Compilers like the one by David Esperalta, it's good enough for very simple apps, but they all depend on IE and we all know how limited and slow it is.

Modern Alternatives:

• NW.js (previously known as node-webkit)
• electron which I personally use and recommend.

both mentioned options are based on Chromium (same as Chrome), Node.js and V8. they support HTML5, CSS3 and latest JavaScript engine including latest ECMAScript features and beyond!

and since they use node.js you can use any of its built-in libraries (like FileSystem) or any of npm packages right in your DOM!

The npm registry hosts over a quarter million packages of reusable code — the largest code registry in the world.

both options are FREE and open sourced but electron supports ffmpeg codecs without downloading or building them.

your app will be 100% standalone and you can build same app for Windows, macOS and Linux.

electron can also provide simple solutions to automatically compile and use CoffeeScript, Babel, LESS, SASS and more.