There's another way to write GUI apps for Windows

5 pointsrlinge1y ago8 comments

After seen this and comments https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40839208 , I have somethings to say. Now days people like to use Electron or Qt, but there's another way, use the Chrome.

After wrote the Webd (a less than 90KB file web sharing/managing server https://webd.cf/webd/ ). I thought I could use this way to write other apps, a webserver run locally, all UI things in browser. And it give one more benefit, remote controllable(by other PCs or mobile devices).

That's all.

8 comments

no_time1y ago

I don't understand why don't all Electron apps do this instead. It's the worst of both worlds. Losing out on being remotely controllable AND having a duplicate copy of all the things that make up a web browser but without being able to share it with the instance you already have open.

I guess being able to style the titlebar is REALLY important to design departments.

rlingeOP1y ago

I believe it is due to the widespread popularity of Electron. What is widely popular is not necessarily the most perfect, but it is more developer-friendly.

In recent years, developers and companies have become less concerned about the memory, storage, and CPU usage on users' devices.

codingdave1y ago

OK, but... you could have just commented on the original thread. It is a little odd to make a new post for this.

rlingeOP1y ago

Sorry for that, but it's why I call it "another way" :-)

troymc1y ago

OctoPrint has been doing that since 2012. It's a clever idea.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OctoPrint

rlingeOP1y ago

I use this method because I happen to know how to develop web servers and work with HTML/JavaScript. That's why I chose this approach. I assume they are in a similar situation, or they might have other considerations. Over the past decade, there has not been a truly perfect and convenient way to develop GUIs. Everyone has been trying different approaches.

umen1y ago

all web desktop is slow and crap . Qt is c++ and near native GUI and full native backend . so its something else don't compare them its not the same

rlingeOP1y ago

Yes, Qt is a perfect choice for many developers, but there are also some developers who can't fully master C++. For example, I'm not smart enough to learn C++ and can only use C. Fortunately, there are some C language UI libraries available.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

There's another way to write GUI apps for Windows

5 pointsrlinge1y ago8 comments

After seen this and comments https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40839208 , I have somethings to say. Now days people like to use Electron or Qt, but there's another way, use the Chrome.

That's all.

8 comments

no_time1y ago

I guess being able to style the titlebar is REALLY important to design departments.

rlingeOP1y ago

I believe it is due to the widespread popularity of Electron. What is widely popular is not necessarily the most perfect, but it is more developer-friendly.

In recent years, developers and companies have become less concerned about the memory, storage, and CPU usage on users' devices.

codingdave1y ago

OK, but... you could have just commented on the original thread. It is a little odd to make a new post for this.

rlingeOP1y ago

Sorry for that, but it's why I call it "another way" :-)

troymc1y ago

OctoPrint has been doing that since 2012. It's a clever idea.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OctoPrint

rlingeOP1y ago

umen1y ago

all web desktop is slow and crap . Qt is c++ and near native GUI and full native backend . so its something else don't compare them its not the same

rlingeOP1y ago

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse