I believe that the free desktop version, which runs in it’s own wrapper should be replaced with a browser based locally hosted version of Manager. See post here - Should Manager Desktop run in browser instead of standalone application
I would not say that the free desktop version and internet isolated version of Manager server is being slowly pulled. I have seen no evidence that the desktop version is being limited in any way. The issue around the pdf creation, I actually agree with the developer on. A number of bugs with the Manager pdf addon has never been resolved and is problematic across different operating systems. It makes far more sense to outsource this to external third party programs dedicated to pdf creation, than to waste precious development hours supporting something that will require constant maintenance with operating system upgrades and changes over time. It is not sustainable.
The unfortunate side effect is that it prevents server versions of Manager being isolated from the Internet, which is not actually a very common user scenario. Manager delivers a lot for many users. However it cannot and should not support all possible user scenarios. No other program that I am aware of is anywhere near as flexible.