7 ms·

Ask HN: Those who develop desktop apps, what is your toolset?

8 points by vijayr 11y ago

Are there still devs making desktop apps? What is your toolset, and could you share a link to your app?

girishso 11y ago
I recently did a desktop app www.autoannote.com using node-webkit. I know it's still all html/css but that's the only way I figured to create cross platform desktop apps.
- vijayr 11y ago
  Is it autoannotate?
  - girishso 11y ago
    Yep. http://www.autoannotate.com http://www.autoannotate.com
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
mike_hearn 11y ago
JavaFX https://www.vinumeris.com/lighthouse https://www.vinumeris.com/lighthouse (there's a promotional video). Note that to use it requires you have some bitcoins. WRT the development process, it worked pretty well. The 3rd-gen Java UI stack is much better than Swing and was a pleasure to work with. Much better than the web stack. The app is open source if you want to read the code: https://github.com/vinumeris/lighthouse https://github.com/vinumeris/lighthouse I built the installers for each platform with the 'javapackager' tool that comes with JDK8+.
V-2 11y ago
C# .NET, WPF, Visual Studio. I can't share a link
stuxnet79 11y ago
Maintaining a rather old Java desktop application, and I've been using Abeille. It is old, poorly documented but still pretty neat. Code is closed source unfortunately.
fian 11y ago
Java 8 (SE) with Swing. Of the few other UI toolkits I have tried, Swing has proven the most flexible in terms of resizable layouts. I have dabbled with some web dev (html,css, javascript). It all seems hacky compared to working with Swing.
- emilburzo 11y ago
  Look into Google Web Toolkit when you get a chance, web dev toolkit with more of the Swing and less of the hacky.
thomas-b 11y ago
Most of our desktop applications are made using C#/WPF/VS but I've been strongly considering Electron (http://electron.atom.io/ http://electron.atom.io/) since Visual Studio Code was released which is made with it, and really doesn't have the feel of "yet another web app trying to look desktop-y". I'll most definitely try it out for our next desktop app project.
eivarv 11y ago
I've used Java with Swing before, and I've done some prototypes with Python and PyQt/Pyside, which I think works pretty great. Been meaning to make something with Electron or NW for a while, but I'm apprehensive because of the downsides (executable size, app performance, appearance).
hemling 11y ago
After a long absent from the desktop I returned developing in JavaFX. Oh boy has desktop app development improved on Java! I liked it a lot, using FXML to define the GUI, MVC built in etc.
miguelrochefort 11y ago
Windows 10 Universal apps Visual Studio 2015, C#, XAML, TFS

8 points by vijayr 11y ago

Are there still devs making desktop apps? What is your toolset, and could you share a link to your app?

I recently did a desktop app www.autoannote.com using node-webkit. I know it's still all html/css but that's the only way I figured to create cross platform desktop apps.

vijayr 11y ago
Is it autoannotate?
- girishso 11y ago
  Yep. http://www.autoannotate.com http://www.autoannotate.com
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]

mike_hearn 11y ago

JavaFX https://www.vinumeris.com/lighthouse https://www.vinumeris.com/lighthouse (there's a promotional video). Note that to use it requires you have some bitcoins. WRT the development process, it worked pretty well. The 3rd-gen Java UI stack is much better than Swing and was a pleasure to work with. Much better than the web stack. The app is open source if you want to read the code: https://github.com/vinumeris/lighthouse https://github.com/vinumeris/lighthouse I built the installers for each platform with the 'javapackager' tool that comes with JDK8+.

V-2 11y ago

C# .NET, WPF, Visual Studio. I can't share a link

stuxnet79 11y ago

Maintaining a rather old Java desktop application, and I've been using Abeille. It is old, poorly documented but still pretty neat. Code is closed source unfortunately.

fian 11y ago

Java 8 (SE) with Swing. Of the few other UI toolkits I have tried, Swing has proven the most flexible in terms of resizable layouts. I have dabbled with some web dev (html,css, javascript). It all seems hacky compared to working with Swing.

emilburzo 11y ago
Look into Google Web Toolkit when you get a chance, web dev toolkit with more of the Swing and less of the hacky.

thomas-b 11y ago

Most of our desktop applications are made using C#/WPF/VS but I've been strongly considering Electron (http://electron.atom.io/ http://electron.atom.io/) since Visual Studio Code was released which is made with it, and really doesn't have the feel of "yet another web app trying to look desktop-y". I'll most definitely try it out for our next desktop app project.

eivarv 11y ago

I've used Java with Swing before, and I've done some prototypes with Python and PyQt/Pyside, which I think works pretty great. Been meaning to make something with Electron or NW for a while, but I'm apprehensive because of the downsides (executable size, app performance, appearance).

hemling 11y ago

After a long absent from the desktop I returned developing in JavaFX. Oh boy has desktop app development improved on Java! I liked it a lot, using FXML to define the GUI, MVC built in etc.

miguelrochefort 11y ago

Windows 10 Universal apps Visual Studio 2015, C#, XAML, TFS