4 ms·

Python dev considering Electron vs. Kivy for desktop app UI

6 points by joshlikesai 3y ago

Hey folks, I'm working on building a simple desktop app for Windows and Mac that needs a basic chat interface and ability to set up API keys. I know Python but not JavaScript/React. Should I go with Kivy since I know Python, even though I haven't seen great-looking Kivy apps? Is it possible to make decent looking apps with Kivy? I hear people say it is but I'm yet to see an example that looks nearly as good as what you get with JS frameworks. Or do I bite the bullet and learn Electron/React for a sleeker UI, despite not knowing JS? I'd like to get this done quickly without too much ramp up time. Kivy has the bonus of potentially compiling to mobile too. But a nice UI is important. What would you recommend for a Python dev looking to build a decent looking desktop app UI without too much overhead? Thanks!

brettkromkamp 3y ago
If you are considering Electron/React then I would suggest going one step further and add Flutter to your list of technologies to consider. It uses Dart (a language similar to C#) and has a lot going for it… relatively quick to get up to speed with, fantastic developer experience (e.g., hot reload, great IDE support, good development tools) and very strong cross-platform support: it generates native iOS, Android, MacOS, Windows and Linux executables. Check it out: https://flutter.dev/ https://flutter.dev/
- joshlikesai 3y ago
  Oh sweet ill check it out, yeah its really important I can get this thing up asap
zerr 3y ago
Check out wxPython.
- joshlikesai 3y ago
  Hmm looks cool but im not seeing examples of nice modern looking interfaces
engineerick 3y ago
Have you ever seen the https://streamlit.io/ https://streamlit.io/ ? I think this is what you are looking for. Example: https://llm-examples.streamlit.app/ https://llm-examples.streamlit.app/
- joshlikesai 3y ago
  I've used streamlit a good bit, its very nice for prototyping with quickly, i hadnt really considered it for my desktop app but maybe it could work. Thanks!
abyesilyurt 3y ago
https://flet.dev https://flet.dev is an interesting project and gives you a good looking UI out of the box. It uses flutter in the background.
- joshlikesai 3y ago
  Oh this looks really cool, thanks for sharing
ddgflorida 3y ago
It seemed like building desktop applications in the 80s and 90s were much easier than today. The GUI and the Web caused us to go backward. I will take a look at these!

6 points by joshlikesai 3y ago

brettkromkamp 3y ago

If you are considering Electron/React then I would suggest going one step further and add Flutter to your list of technologies to consider. It uses Dart (a language similar to C#) and has a lot going for it… relatively quick to get up to speed with, fantastic developer experience (e.g., hot reload, great IDE support, good development tools) and very strong cross-platform support: it generates native iOS, Android, MacOS, Windows and Linux executables. Check it out: https://flutter.dev/ https://flutter.dev/

joshlikesai 3y ago
Oh sweet ill check it out, yeah its really important I can get this thing up asap

zerr 3y ago

Check out wxPython.

joshlikesai 3y ago
Hmm looks cool but im not seeing examples of nice modern looking interfaces

engineerick 3y ago

Have you ever seen the https://streamlit.io/ https://streamlit.io/ ? I think this is what you are looking for. Example: https://llm-examples.streamlit.app/ https://llm-examples.streamlit.app/

joshlikesai 3y ago
I've used streamlit a good bit, its very nice for prototyping with quickly, i hadnt really considered it for my desktop app but maybe it could work. Thanks!

abyesilyurt 3y ago

https://flet.dev https://flet.dev is an interesting project and gives you a good looking UI out of the box. It uses flutter in the background.

joshlikesai 3y ago
Oh this looks really cool, thanks for sharing

ddgflorida 3y ago

It seemed like building desktop applications in the 80s and 90s were much easier than today. The GUI and the Web caused us to go backward. I will take a look at these!