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Make Apps for Linux

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Re: Make Apps for Linux

#91
post #34

I think the premise is wrong when there still doesn’t exist a core set of frameworks that are abi stable on Linux. On competing platforms there are way more frameworks out of the box (CoreImage, CoreAudio, CodeML, SceneKit, AppKit, etc) and they don’t break as often. I know in Linux they have fun things like snap and flatpak but it is really solving the problem using a bit of infrastructure and package management ins…

> and they don’t break as often.

Meh, kinda.

It's not a case that proprietary software vendors only target RHEL, Suse and Ubuntu.

RHEL is a perfect target for stable software and Ubuntu might be as well if you decide to only support LTS releases.

Re: Make Apps for Linux

#92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is a large intersection of Linux users and people who cherish their freedoms. For many people, using non-open source note taking software is a non starter because of the vendor lock-in and privacy concerns. Thus, you'll probably lose out more by not open sourcing the program than by open sourcing it and risk having some people not pay. I wager a lot more people is willing to pay than use proprietary software. A…

I'm a big believer in open source software. I've had wonderful contributors and I'm using qutie a few open source libraries/components in my own apps. That's why I open sourced my own app. I've tried many different options so I could make a living with it (ads, donations, premium features). There are definitely more ways to explore. But for now, I need to ensure that my financial situation is stable before anything e…

[deleted]

Re: Make Apps for Linux

#93
post #68

The problem is OSS software not even trying to compete with the market. People using OSS software taking it for granted that the UX is going to be subpar, and it really is. Regular propriety software faces the risk of their users not paying, therefore adapting to make end user experience great. OSS usually doesn't have that risk. Open source needs to be exposed to risk from end users. I tried to change that with Note…

Personally I think KDE is light years ahead of macOS and Windows. In fact I find macOS to have been be of the worst window managers of all the popular platforms (sure it’s pretty and easy to use, but trying to do anything beyond the basics requires magical incantations that are impossible to discover organically). Each to their own though.

Well, I'm a Qt programmer (and love it!), so I know a bit about this ecosystem. Unfortunately in terms of UX and aesthetics, KDE apps don't come even close to the macOS ecosystem.

But that's alright. I'm here to change that.

Re: Make Apps for Linux

#94
post #41
post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The CLI is peak UX for anyone technically competent.

For a subset of tasks, maybe. But I'd rather use Firefox than lynx. And I'd rather use Thunderbird than mutt or pine.

I get Firefox (with keyboard navigation) over Lynx but Mutt has been fantastic for my productivity.

Re: Make Apps for Linux

#95
post #68

The problem is OSS software not even trying to compete with the market. People using OSS software taking it for granted that the UX is going to be subpar, and it really is. Regular propriety software faces the risk of their users not paying, therefore adapting to make end user experience great. OSS usually doesn't have that risk. Open source needs to be exposed to risk from end users. I tried to change that with Note…

Personally I think KDE is light years ahead of macOS and Windows. In fact I find macOS to have been be of the worst window managers of all the popular platforms (sure it’s pretty and easy to use, but trying to do anything beyond the basics requires magical incantations that are impossible to discover organically). Each to their own though.

Can you elaborate more? What features you are talking about?

I can criticise Mac OS endlessly and was even actively downvoted here when reported facts of my personal experience with bugs on newly purchased M1 (you can dig the history if you wish). I was shocked how quality degraded in my opinion.

People here were even claiming that it’s my specific faulty machine was to blame. This ‘faulty’ machine by the way works to this very day without any hardware problems except flickering of the monitor which is idiotic in my opinion design decision (to use PWM).

So as you can see I am very critical of macOS and consider using Windows after macOS like completely unbearable. And yet your comment have puzzled me.

When I was learning macOS after years with Windows I remember that certain things were like you say “impossible to discover”. Yet with all that being said I find other GUI implementations in GNU/Linux not any better.

Perhaps I’ve missed something in KDE? What did I miss? What “doing anything beyond basic” means in your usage? What kind of tasks/workflows are those ? How KDE better in those?

Re: Make Apps for Linux

#96
post #14

I recently switched from Mac to Linux so that I can use beefy refurbished machines as my daily driver. I've installed Linux on lots of different machines previously, but this time it's not just a hobby. Ubuntu has great support for my hardware and peripherals, but the app store feels unfinished and forced. Pretty much everything works as expected. I'm interested in checking out Mint (also Debian) and Arch, but it fee…

Do yourself a favor and give Fedora a try.

I wish I had done that earlier.

Re: Make Apps for Linux

#97

This is one of the biggest issues holding the Linux platform as a whole. It's often cited as a strength, but I don't see it as such. Many times, the plethora of choice is pushed forward by devs as an advantage of Linux ("you have so many choices to pick from!") but for many users this presents the paradox of choice - and pushes many people back to the platform they came from. You get less choice on macOS and Windows,…

People don't make choices by exhaustive analysis they consider a small quantity of options and by popularity or proximity select one and run with it. Successful ecosystems make it reasonably to pick a highly visible option and come out with something good enough. The proliferation of Linux distros is largely small difference that don't meaningfully decrease fitness because only a tiny minority who themselves had little problem finding a distro think its an issue.

By contrast issues like Wayland wherein your plumbing and hardware suddenly matter and you have to become at least somewhat familiar with the plumbing in order to select a usable set of options DO matter because they increase the chance of crapping out when you stroll down the aisle metaphorically and pick a box and end up somewhat satisfied.

It honestly makes little sense to compare Mac or Windows to Linux. In the eyes of 95% of consumers an OS either an immutable characteristic of a computer or a feature thereof and they aren't interested in it as a separate product. They might well buy a computer with that OS if the overall package makes sense but they sure as hell wont install it on their windows or mac machine. Those who are technically literate enough to be satisfied are unlikely to be confused if people add 3 more Ubuntu derivatives and 2 more arch ones.

Re: Make Apps for Linux

#98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For one thing, it’s a lot prettier than Joplin

Personally I think Joplin looks better and this looks like a poor macOS clone that lacks many of the features like markdown support or synchronizing across devices including mobile. IMO if Joplin’s problem is the UI, or even just something OP is passionate about, why not contribute and open a PR? Why is the pattern “I care about this one thing so I reimplemented it in a new app from scratch”?

- Plume supports Markdown (plus additional plaintext syntax).

- Plume is a block editor, unlike Joplin. Therefore plume can have advanced views inside the editor itself (like Kanban, image handling, columns, etc)

- Plume is faster than Joplin's non-native editor (the one that renders your Markdown)

- IMO Plume is way prettier with far more attention to detail.

Re: Make Apps for Linux

#99
post #28

It's not an attractive scene for GUI developers on Linux. Gnome, Qt, and Electron all have some unappealing aspects. Many people who get the itch to make a Linux GUI app will immediately be discouraged by having to choose between them.

Imo, I think that Flutter is one of the best ways to make native Linux applications at the moment. It can look just like a GTK, macOS and Windows app and you have a more enjoyable experience.

Don't know it, but from the website it looks mobile-first and intended for simple apps like Spotify. Don't get the impression that I could build something like Blender or Kdenlive with it. Maybe my impression is wrong, but I would hesitate to use a framework for a purpose that the developers consider fringe.

Re: Make Apps for Linux

#100
post #34

I think the premise is wrong when there still doesn’t exist a core set of frameworks that are abi stable on Linux. On competing platforms there are way more frameworks out of the box (CoreImage, CoreAudio, CodeML, SceneKit, AppKit, etc) and they don’t break as often. I know in Linux they have fun things like snap and flatpak but it is really solving the problem using a bit of infrastructure and package management ins…

I had read somewhere that Win32 (via Wine or Proton) is the most stable target for Linux right now.
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