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I am developer with a background in desktop development, web development and mobile development. All of it as frontend and backend apps. Apart from that I am a web and mobile designer.

Which framework seems feasible for multi platform apps?

I already looked into electron and QT and electron didn't have the "Wow effect" I was looking for, I mean yes, it is great, but as a designer I want my UIs to look and feel native. Currently I would go with QT or a modified JavaFX, but I am not so sure about the latter. So which framework would you recommend?

EDIT: I would prefer a framework for C style languages, like Java, C++ or C#.

EDIT 2: I will use it for private open source projects, so basically anyone with one of the target systems should be able to compile it for free. Also it would be great if it fits into the Jetbrains tool chain, cause I already pay 30 € for the IDEs monthly.

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    Are you asking about developing desktop apps or web apps? I assumed you meant desktop, but upon re-reading the Question it seems not quite certain. I suggest you edit to clarify both the body of the question and the title. – Basil Bourque Jun 16 '18 at 22:08
  • Qt is a damn good, long term, well supported environment, as is the Lazarus IDE but it sounds like you are more occupied with shiny things and "Wow effect", and I don't know enough about those to help. Sorry. – Mawg says reinstate Monica Sep 18 '18 at 12:59
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Have you thought about using Xamarin?

  1. It's free
  2. It's open source
  3. You can use C# or F# to code in.
  4. You can use Xamarin forms to create cross platform apps (you need a Mac to build for OSX/IOS)
  5. It works with Jetbrains IDE Rider, Visual Studio or Visual Studio for Mac

--UPDATE--

I does Look like out of the box currently, Xamarin doesn't truly support Linux. However, it does look like they are going in that direction base on a GTK# preview.

There is a open source library called Eto.Forms that can be and is already being used to create Linux applications.

Some example apps on there site:

  • DWSIM - Chemical Process Simulator
  • PabloDraw - Character based drawing application
  • Eto.Test - Application to test the functionality of each widget

Referenced article

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  • Doesn't work on Linux. Which is the most important platform. – Knerd Dec 19 '18 at 19:34
  • @knerd I'm not so sure I would say that. docs.microsoft.com/en-us/xamarin/xamarin-forms/platform/… – Chillie Dec 19 '18 at 19:50
  • GTK# preview looks promising. I would love Xamarin forms support for GTK#. Would be even better when it works on Linux with Rider. Currently, I couldn't get it work. – Knerd Dec 21 '18 at 21:02
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Xojo

Xojo is a powerful yet easy to use software development platform consisting of a visual drag-and-drop form/layout editor, proprietary object-oriented programming language, and native compiler for delivering cross-platform desktop apps to MS Windows, macOS, iOS, and Linux.

A very smart design makes it easy to get started as a beginner or hobbyist yet is powerful enough to be used by many full-time professionals.

Formerly known as RealBasic.

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  • Looks good but has two flaws for me, one being Basic, and the second one being paid software, I am looking for something working with languages like C++, C# or Java – Knerd Jun 16 '18 at 18:56
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    @Knerd Just to be clear the Xojo language does have syntax similar to BASIC and to Microsoft Visual Basic. Indeed, many of their customers are former VB developers abandoned by Microsoft. But the language is a fully modern object-oriented programming language quite similar in functionality to Java & C#. Do not let that aspect stop you from considering Xojo. And, the cross-platform deployment is a killer feature for Xojo, and one that your Question seemed to say is crucial for you. – Basil Bourque Jun 16 '18 at 22:05
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    I updated my question a bit and added two additional points that are crucial, one being free of charge and the second that it fits into the Jetbrains tool chain. – Knerd Jun 18 '18 at 6:40
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    "proprietary object-oriented programming language" makes me wonder how much documentation their is, how much support, active user forums, code samples, plug-ins, even a debugger, and whether it might land me a job. – Mawg says reinstate Monica Sep 18 '18 at 12:56
  • However, it does sound interesting. Do you know if there is a trial? – Mawg says reinstate Monica Oct 19 '18 at 9:20

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