Python dev considering Electron vs. Kivy for desktop app UI

[joshlikesai]

Hey folks, I'm working on building a simple desktop app for Windows and Mac that needs a basic chat interface and ability to set up API keys. I know Python but not JavaScript/React.

Should I go with Kivy since I know Python, even though I haven't seen great-looking Kivy apps? Is it possible to make decent looking apps with Kivy? I hear people say it is but I'm yet to see an example that looks nearly as good as what you get with JS frameworks. Or do I bite the bullet and learn Electron/React for a sleeker UI, despite not knowing JS?

I'd like to get this done quickly without too much ramp up time. Kivy has the bonus of potentially compiling to mobile too. But a nice UI is important.

What would you recommend for a Python dev looking to build a decent looking desktop app UI without too much overhead? Thanks!

[brettkromkamp]

If you are considering Electron/React then I would suggest going one step further and add Flutter to your list of technologies to consider. It uses Dart (a language similar to C#) and has a lot going for it… relatively quick to get up to speed with, fantastic developer experience (e.g., hot reload, great IDE support, good development tools) and very strong cross-platform support: it generates native iOS, Android, MacOS, Windows and Linux executables. Check it out: https://flutter.dev/

[joshlikesai]

Oh sweet ill check it out, yeah its really important I can get this thing up asap

[engineerick]

Have you ever seen the https://streamlit.io/ ? I think this is what you are looking for.

Example: https://llm-examples.streamlit.app/

[joshlikesai]

I've used streamlit a good bit, its very nice for prototyping with quickly, i hadnt really considered it for my desktop app but maybe it could work. Thanks!

[abyesilyurt]

https://flet.dev is an interesting project and gives you a good looking UI out of the box. It uses flutter in the background.

[joshlikesai]

Oh this looks really cool, thanks for sharing

[ddgflorida]

It seemed like building desktop applications in the 80s and 90s were much easier than today. The GUI and the Web caused us to go backward. I will take a look at these!

[zerr]

Check out wxPython.

[joshlikesai]

Hmm looks cool but im not seeing examples of nice modern looking interfaces