Different companies require different types of software and it is unrealistic to think that a “one size fits all” program that you find at your local retail store is going to suffice. We can create any desktop application for your needs for any number of users! From low-level kernel driver development to back-office solutions, we can develop your application for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

An in-depth article about desktop applications is available here.This article will address and focus more on the development of desktop applications which is as follows:

Desktop Applications are not Dead

It’s true that with the rise of the internet, desktop applications have become less common. Just because they are less common; however, does not mean they cease to exist. Web applications would be nothing without a browser such as Chrome, Firefox, and Safari which are all desktop applications. Contrary to popular belief there is still lots of software development happening for two logical reasons: desktop applications are historically known to perform better than web applications and do not require an internet connection to function. There are many desktop tasks that cannot be performed in a web browser such as 3D modeling, video editing, or running large algorithms. Many companies still use desktop applications, consider one for your company too.

Languages

There are many different languages that can be used to develop desktop applications. Choosing a language depends on familiarity and the features it can offer. The following is a brief list of languages that can be used to develop desktop applications.

• C# and C++
• PHP
• Python
• Java
• Perl

Frameworks for the Different Platforms

Choosing the best framework isn’t easy because each one has its own unique features and advantages. At the very least, it is easy to narrow down frameworks based on the type of platform the application is supposed to run on. A desktop platform refers to the hardware and operating system used in a desktop computer. This includes different architectures like x84bit or x64bit and different operating systems like Windows or MacOS.

Windows Applications

Developing desktop applications for Windows is known to be easier than the other operating systems because Microsoft provides a highly-regarded development community with an extensive toolkit. Windows provides different application platforms that depend on what kind of application a developer is trying to create. The types of Windows application platforms are:

• UWP- Appropriately named, Universal Windows Platform (UWP) uses a common type system, API’s, and application model for all devices that run Windows 10. These UWP applications can either be native or managed
• WPF and Windows Forms- These two platforms provide a common type system, API’s, and application model specifically for managed applications running on the .NET framework
• Win32 API- Also known as Windows API, Win32 API is the original platform for native C/C++ Windows applications. Any applications that are created with Win32 API require direct access to Windows and hardware which therefore make this platform preferable over the others for applications that need to perform at a high level or need direct access to system hardware.

MacOS Applications

While Windows offers a plethora of application platforms to choose from, Apple makes the choice pretty clear for developers as there is only one. Apple desktop developers must use the Cocoa software framework in combination with the XCode IDE. This framework serves as the only native object-oriented application programming interface for the MacOS. When developing for Apple, there are strict human interface guidelines which the company enforces with special automation included within the framework.

Cross-Platform Applications

Cross-platform applications are good for other operating systems that don’t provide frameworks to develop applications with. There are two popular frameworks that are commonly used to create cross-platform applications: Electron and Swing.

Electron is an open-source framework that uses the Javascript runtime, Node.js in combination with web application development languages such as HTML, CSS, and Javascript. This particular framework leverages web standards known to every web developer and refocuses these standards into creating cross-platform desktop applications. The Electron framework enables developers to focus on core functions by providing ready-to-use desktop application functionality.

Swing is a lightweight graphical user interface toolkit that is specific to Java applications. Swing was created to provide a better set of GUI components such as buttons, checkboxes, scroll panes, tables, lists, and tabbed panels. The toolkit also includes an API and built-in controls such as trees, image buttons, sliders, toolbars, and text areas.