← Back to context

Comment by gf000

11 hours ago

Which native framework?

Even in a "post-vibe code" era I wouldn't want to create multiple versions of the same app, and none of the "platform-native" GUI toolkits run on everything.

SwiftUI is apple-only, gtk has pretty bad compatibility on non-linux, qt is decent but requires C++ or python, and even so still not much for mobile. Don't even get started on "Windows frameworks", because as I write this sentence they may have left a new one in the ditch.

Flutter may be the closest, but why didn't they go with e.g. Java instead of a new language?

So yeah, if you want a truly universal UI then web is your best bet.

> if you want a truly universal UI

Right. If you want your app to look the same, custom way, ditching what the OS has to offer.

Some developers still believe an operating system has useful UI components and patterns worth adopting. From this thread it's clear that there's plenty who don't. Personally I view that as a regression.

  • Well, maybe Java's AWT has been correct all this time.

    Of course there is value in having "OS-native" buttons, transitions, windows etc. And many parts of GUIs are basically standardized. The problem is all the parts that are not, and have to look the same everywhere.

one missing from that list: Slint, which i work on. runs on Linux, Windows, macOS and embedded, with app logic in Rust, C++, Python or JS.

You can use JS but it doesn't ship a browser engine, it renders with its own lightweight toolkit.

The one which OS has to offer.

Web is bad everywhere outside of the browser.

  • I want to have both linux and mac users (but maybe also android, ios, windows).

    You clearly see the issue.

    • When I started programming, one had to repeat in Assembly the same application for each computer brand.

      We are not that bad nowadays, it is a skill issue.

      There are plenty of ways to have portable applications with native UIs without shipping a browser.

      Somehow we managed to do it for decades and without AI writing the code for us.

      If you want to ship a browser, I already have one, thus standard Web, with a daemon if it really must be.

      1 reply →

    • > You clearly see the issue

      I don’t. VLC is available everywhere, so your requirement is clearly not a problem. Jetbrains is available on all major desktop OS.

      3 replies →