[cgrealy]

not really a desktop app though, is it?

And Minecraft is also a notable outlier. Outside of mobile, there are very few games written in java on PC or consoles.

[bruce343434]

Minecraft is an application which runs on the desktop... I don't see what you mean.

[cgrealy]

It's a game. It's UI is full screen and completely divorced from "standard" UI elements (WIMP, etc).

You can call it a desktop app, and you'd be correct in the most pedantic sense, but then every web app is also a desktop app since you run it on a desktop.

[mellinoe]

Chrome the browser is a desktop application, websites you visit in it are not.

[smrtinsert]

That's right let's not forget about the famous Ruby and Javascript desktop games that have outsold Minecraft...

[DaiPlusPlus]

Limewire tho

[RhodesianHunter]

How is it not a desktop app? Millions play it on their desktop.

[commandlinefan]

Still, not really in the sense of the article - he's talking about desktop apps like word processors or email clients: Minecraft's GUI is just a big canvas that the 3D renderer renders into. It's not using any windowing components - IIRC, even the menu and buttons were custom.

[bombcar]

Minecraft can pop up GUI windows but even mods rarely do it.

Running a server without nogui gets a window also.