In the
beginning, when web apps began to gain popularity, users likely used desktop
applications.
It looks
like web-based solutions gradually pushed desktop apps out of the market.
However, there has been a recent revival in the popularity of desktop applications.
It is
crucial to understand that Trello, Azure, and Wrike are among the best examples
of web-based apps which are now making their way onto desktops.
As a result
of the growing popularity of mobile apps and web applications, businesses and
individuals are going to rely less heavily on desktop computers in 2023 due to
the fact that we will all be using our phones to access most things.
What factors
are important in determining the best cross-platform solution for your
business?
They include
price, time, reputation, support from the community, the complexity of the app,
performance as close to how a native app would perform, and speed to market,
among others.
It is a
sincere pleasure to present you with a list of the top desktop app development
tools around the world. But before that, let’s see what a desktop application
is.
How Do Desktop Applications
Work?
There are
desktop apps that interact with the operating system rather than web-based or
mobile applications which run on the browser.
In the end,
they can be any type of program just as long as they can run on a desktop
computer and provide an interface for inputs and outputs that is user-friendly.
In most
cases, desktop applications are used in one place on the computer, but
sometimes a small icon is present in the system tray, which remains visible on
the screen as well-being.
A desktop
application can also be defined as an application designed to run only on the
desktop rather than being accessible via a browser or any other means.
In some desktop
applications, such as word processing and media players, you can perform a
variety of tasks, while in others, such as video games, they help you to
entertain yourself.
The
development of desktop applications involves creating applications that can be
used on desktops and laptops, depending on the platform.
Windows,
macOS, Linux, and many more desktop operating systems are used to build these
types of applications.
It should be
pointed out that software categories include personal productivity software
(for example, word processors), media creation and editing software (for
example, video editors), and entertainment software (for instance, video
players).
There are
some applications that can be run on the desktop without any internet
connection, but they have to be downloaded and installed on the PC by the end users.
The
development of desktop applications can be carried out in a number of different
languages, such as C/C++, Java, Python, Ruby on Rails (ROR), PHP, Perl, etc.,
with libraries such as Qt or GTK+ being most commonly used.
What's the best framework
for desktop apps?
If you're a
desktop developer, determining which framework is the best one for your project
will never be an easy task.
There is
more to evaluating a framework than just analyzing its features. It is
necessary to know both the advantages and disadvantages of using a certain
framework in addition to analyzing its features.
Winforms
Microsoft
.NET GUI Libraries include "Windows Forms" - a class that has been
around since 2002 when it was first released in 2002 as part of the .NET
Framework.
It still
remains one of the most popular choices for making desktop applications for
Windows OS, almost twenty years after it was first released.
With
WinForms, you can easily learn how to use user interface apps as event-driven
user applications, thinking of the UI apps as event-driven and user-driven
applications.
You can then
design and develop your applications with the Drag & Drop Designer that is
part of Visual Studio to see how it works.
This
solution would still be appropriate for you to consider if you do not need
responsive UIs or if the project is not so large.
As a result,
Winforms is becoming outdated and, generally, is not the first choice for
desktop developers in the majority of cases.
WPF
It is one of
the most popular frameworks for developing native Windows applications which
can be found on the internet.
It is a
framework within the .NET framework that is generally used for creating the
user interface for desktop applications. You should be able to use this
framework to develop the graphics within desktop applications.
It has been
useful for programmers since it was introduced in 2006 as part of the .NET
family and has managed to win the hearts of many.
It is common
for runtime libraries of the Windows Presentation Foundation to be embedded in
the Windows operating system. One of the key characteristics of the WPF runtime
libraries is the ability to unify different elements of the user interface.
This
includes vector graphics, adaptive documents, and pre-rendered media objects,
as well as rendering 2D and 3D scenes.
With WPF,
there are a lot more opportunities in terms of templating, styling, binding,
and flexibility as compared to WinForms.
In addition
to this, there are lots of external tools/libraries available for developers,
including MVVM Light, Prism, and Caliburn.Micro, and control suites from
companies like Telerik, can make the development process noticeable.
This tool is
capable of doing a lot, but it takes a fairly steep learning curve since you
have to learn a syntax called Extensible Application Markup Language (XAML) as
well as a design pattern called Model-View-ViewModel (MVVM).
UWP
Now we have
come to the part where we are discussing the newborn of Microsoft .NET: the
"Universal Windows Platform".
There is no
doubt that Microsoft gave birth to this GUI Computing Platform in 2012, and it
has been its mission to promote this platform and make it the gold standard for
UI apps since then.
If you know
how to work with WPF, you (almost) know UWP too. It is XAML-based, works with
the same design patterns and binding strategies, and you can use ready-to-use
templates or control suites in UWP projects too.
As a matter
of fact, the major difference here is that UWP only targets Windows 10 licensed
devices (PCs, smartphones, tablets, Xboxes, etc.).
Luckily for
people who want to make money from their apps, once they've finished developing
their UWP solution, they can upload it to Windows Store and hopefully make some
cash.
Cocoa
It is a
thread-safe framework that can be used to develop UIs for macOS, iOS, and tvOS
natively using the Cocoa programming language. Cocoa develops objects instead
of the traditional views for the macOS, iOS, and tvOS.
Not only by
adding to the functionality of the UI, but it also makes it more engaging to
use since it adds an entertaining element to the UI.
In a desktop
application, you can now include animation functions, graphic control elements,
and gesture recognition capabilities with the Cocoa framework because of its
flexibility.
Usually,
Apple will provide all the development tools for Cocoa as well as a complete
set of code-writing tools. The Cocoa framework can be used with Python, Perl,
and Ruby languages when it comes to writing code.
As a result,
to use these languages, you will need bridges such as PyObjC, PasCocoa, and
RubyCocoa. The Cocoa framework will help to ensure that you adhere to Apple’s
strict guidelines for the use of these languages.
Electron
The Electron
framework is a free and open-source project that is developed and maintained by
GitHub. It is used by many companies, such as Stack, Microsoft, and Facebook,
throughout their development processes.
Using
Electron, you can build cross-platform desktop applications made using HTML,
CSS, and JavaScript. This is one of the greatest features of Electrons.
The Electron
application combines NodeJs and Chromium to create a desktop application with a
web view. It is also possible to use libraries and frameworks - such as
Angular, React, or Vue.js with Electron.
The most
challenging aspect of the electron is its heavy CPU consumption, but if your
application has a small memory footprint, this won't be a significant problem
as it does not consume many CPU resources.
🔘 Related: Top Programming Languages for Desktop App Development in 2022
Swing
With Swing,
you can easily create desktop applications that can be used on any platform
since it is a cross-platform framework and can be used as a building block for
any kind of desktop application.
It was
developed so that desktop applications could be accessed and used better by
using Swing's GUI. Swing is capable of reproducing the design, look, and style
of all desktop applications so that users can use them effectively.
It is a
framework that comes with various UI components, such as buttons, panels,
tables, scroll panes, and checkboxes that can be added to a dashboard.
Some frameworks
are suited for Windows native development, while others are suited to MacOS,
and others are suited for cross-platform development, as you can see below.
It will
depend on the type of desktop application that you are developing as to which
development framework you will use.
JavaFX
There is
also a Java-based framework, JavaFX, which assists in designing and developing
desktop applications on virtually all major platforms (Windows, Linux, Mac)
based on the Java programming language.
With JavaFX
being included within the Eclipse IDE, the Oracle Foundation encourages
developers to switch from Swing to JavaFX as a replacement for the Swing
component.
A JavaFX
application is more advanced and modern compared to a Swing application. JavaFX
provides a rich range of graphical components, input, and rendering options, as
well as a scene builder or design tool that allows you to construct GUIs
without writing a single line of code.
Conclusion
In terms of
frameworks and desktop app development languages, there are many out there, and
each one has its own pros and cons, so you should take the time to decide which
one is best for you according to your goals and your level of experience.
It is,
however, advisable, if you are a business owner and you think you might be able
to boost your business by hiring some help, to consider our team.
Our experts
will be happy to help you with any website, desktop, android, or iOS
application development services that you need.
So, if there
is anything we can help you with, please do not hesitate to investigate our
website and have a look around to see what we have to offer.