rubymamis

I just did a quick Google search only on GitHub, maybe there are better ones out there on the internet?

There are many, here's a simple Google search:

https://github.com/jyn514/saltwater

https://github.com/ClementTsang/rustcc

https://github.com/maekawatoshiki/rucc

Live demo not loading for me - hug of death?

In modern Qt you don't write UI in C++ anymore - you do that in QML. It is far simpler to create amazing pixel perfect UIs with drooling-inducing animations in QML. I wrote a blog post that talks a bit about this[1].

[1] https://rubymamistvalove.com/block-editor

This is not because of Qt - it is due to some (most) Qt developers not caring enough. I created my Qt app feel native both on macOS and Windows[1]. It did require a lot of tuning - but those are things I'll reuse across other apps.

[1] https://get-notes.com/

That's false, see QML hot reload[1].

[1] https://www.qt.io/blog/speed-up-qt-development-with-qml-hot-...

I built my Block Editor (Notion-style) in Qt C++ and QML[1].

[1] https://get-notes.com

AI reply?

Oh that's awesome to hear! I have been playing with the idea of creating a desktop environment. Don't know if necessarily using i3wm but it's good to have your library if I do (:

Nice! Thanks for that.

Great project, but let's just make this year the year of the Linux Desktop!

I'm interested in the same! There are plenty of resources for C[1][2]. I just looked into my old notes and found a post for C++[3].

[1] https://btmc.substack.com/p/memory-unsafety-is-an-attitude-p...

[2] https://www.gingerbill.org/series/memory-allocation-strategi...

[3] https://dmitrysoshnikov.com/compilers/writing-a-pool-allocat...

Here is another bug that led to crush thatt I reported while developing my block editor:

https://qt-project.atlassian.net/browse/QTBUG-124572

Yes! I'm not using Qt's built-in components like StackView, but reimplementing them from scratch to better support swipe gestures, etc so they feel native-like.

I agree. Modern Qt is great - you get the performance of C++ and the ease of use (simpler than React!) of creating UIs in QML. I've built my note-taking app with a from scratch block editor[1] (like Notions's) with it. Now working on a mobile version[2]. Also working on a LLM client[3]. And working on a library that will simplify and help others build such apps easily - which is my solution to the original article author's problem.

[1] https://get-notes.com/

[2] https://rubymamistvalove.com/notes-mobile-swipe-stack-view.M...

[3] https://www.get-vox.com/

> Instead, I imagine a future where we have new “high-level” tools, built from lower in the stack.

This is exactly what I'm trying to build. I'm writing a library on top of Qt that would make it easy to write native code as easy as it is writing React code! I would say it's even easier since we are throwing all the constraints of browsers and web apis out of the way.

That would be awesome (:

This is awesome. Would love to see if it catches some of the Qt bugs I found but haven't been resolved yet[1].

[1] https://qt-project.atlassian.net/browse/QTBUG-122658

As a FOSS maintainer myself, I recommend you to charge (a small amount of) money for the app. People could always compile and run the app themselves still, so paying for the app is a clear way to support the project. I see that you have donation on your page, but it rarely happens that people donate. Just my 2 cents.

Yes, this is really annoying.

We need countries to start legally enforce that. Nothing will change otherwise. I stopped open sourcing my code and LLMs are one of the big reason.

TypeScript transpile to Javascript - do you really want your operating system's shell written in slow ass Javascript? Modern C++ with hardening rules for the compiler[1] is pretty safe.

[1] https://best.openssf.org/Compiler-Hardening-Guides/Compiler-...

Nice to see it uses Qt C++ and QML (:

There's no soul in major OSes these days - Windows is a big bloatware and macOS's aesthetics is the result of design for the sake of the design instead of any practical use. No wonder we're seeing this sentiment for an alternative growing.

> But writing a mobile app in Qt is not more productive :-). I am very convinced it costs more money and results in a worse product.

Hope to prove you wrong soon (:

> Except for IDEs (I like the JetBrains ones) and browser, I don't use GUIs :-).

You said you "hope good desktop GUIs will come eventually, because I absolutely hate the web-based stuff like Electron.", so I guess you still might need to use those. I'm with you, and I'm trying to be part of the change. To be honest, I'm not very much tied to a specific programming language. If the end result is good - stable, performant, with good DX than I'm with it. For me, the current combo works. I'm willing to adapt tho. Slint has nice QML syntax for UI and logic (and the underlying framework) is written in Rust. Its author was once The Qt Company/Nokia developer if I'm not mistaken.

> Both Kotlin and Swift are compiled.

I only said that because you said performant code "does not matter for a mobile app". I think writing apps in native frameworks is awesome! I'm all for it. BTW, I've heard some reports that SwiftUI/Swift are slow[1][2][3]. Again, I haven't explored SwiftUI and Kotlin, but I'd like some day. What do you love about them so much?

> All that for being at best similar to the native tools, but probably never exactly the same. And it cannot be better, because the native ones are the ones defining how it should be.

I agree, the best apps would almost always be those written in the framework the OS provides - kinda make sense - cross platform GUIs will always fall under the lowest common denominator issue - I've written about it in my blog post[4]. You also forget tho, that Linux does exist with a growing popularity - I think it's important to target it as well (I've started GUI development because I was on Linux and most apps had horrible UI/UX).

> but starting a new mobile UI with QML these days is just madness IMHO :-)

Follow my mad adventure (:

[1] https://notes.alinpanaitiu.com/SwiftUI%20is%20convenient,%20...

[2] https://x.com/daniel_nguyenx/status/1734495508746702936

[3] https://danielchasehooper.com/posts/why-swift-is-slow/

[4] https://rubymamistvalove.com/block-editor#9-aesthetics

> How much experience do you have writing mobile apps in Kotlin or Swift, as a comparison?

No, in the mobile space I've only used React Native and QML with C++.

> This almost certainly does not matter for a mobile app, and definitely not for the UI part.

I disagree. For example, I expect block editors to handle large texts efficiency - both in terms of power draw and performance. Writing in a non-compiled language already puts you in a disadvantage in both aspects. But this is just the standard I set to myself - the entire industry clearly has different priorities.

> I didn't mean that it is complicated. I can totally write C++. What I meant is that it is more complicated to get it right than modern languages. If users complain about a segmentation fault, it's often pretty tricky to debug. In Java/Kotlin, you will get an exception that tells you exactly which line crashed.

Yep, I generally agree, tho with good debugging tools and LLMs I have found this to not be a problem anymore.

> On top of that, C++ is slower to write. Again I have been able to compare teams working on the same app both in C++ and in Java/Kotlin/Swift (Java is not exactly a modern language, but still it's a lot faster to develop with).

I write in TypeScript at my day job and C++ for my side projects and I don't feel like I'm slower in C++. Again, I'm using the subset I'm conformable with.

> And after all those disadvantages of using C++ for a mobile app, you end up with a UI that doesn't feel native to the platform.

That has certainly been the case, and what I'm trying to fix - because I've proven that it is fixable by caring about UI/UX. QML is great for UI, it's just that Qt developers (both the developers of Qt and those using it) don't care much about those things. But it's definitely posiible to get good results. For example, I'm working on SwipeStackView like other iOS apps have in QML, and I'm liking what I've made so far: https://rubymamistvalove.com/notes-mobile-swipe-stack-view.M...

> Even for writing a Desktop app, I don't understand why people use Qt instead of e.g. Java. Kotlin/Compose seem to be coming on Desktop too, which makes a lot of sense to me. And maybe even Flutter.

Again, I can't stretch how FUN, easy, and overall a great experience to develop with QML and C++ together, it's just HOW GUI should always been. I'm thinking of creating some Youtube tutorials that will try to present this feeling.

> Finally, I don't understand writing a cross-platform UI for Desktop and mobile. On mobile, I have a big finger and a small touch screen. On Desktop, I have a big screen, a mouse and a keyboard. Those require different UIs. Sharing the logic is fine, but the UI needs to be written for the platform.

100%. Completely in agreement. The fact that you can develop both Desktop and mobile apps in QML doesn't mean you must make them share the same code (at least, not fully). I think Kirigami have gone the wrong way with their 'adaptable' UI (I've also thought about doing that until I realized it's the wrong approach). One should always start with the UX that the end result should be - never start from tech considerations.

[1] https://develop.kde.org/frameworks/kirigami//

I also write complex UIs with QML and C++. I do not consider myself an expert in C++ but there is clearly a subset of it that I feel comfortable in. I think the combo of QML & C++ is great since QML lets you focus on the UI - and does a great job at it, and in C++ you can write performant code. C++ isn't that complicated these days - if you stick to a subset you're familiar with.

Hi there! I'm curious about the use cases people you know used Qt to develop for mobile. Do you mind expanding on this?

I'd love if you could also contact me (my socials are in my profile) as I'm developing a set of components to help exactly in that situation.