How to Make Software?? — The Right Tool??

CAUTION: This is not a beginner-friendly blog. I’m not teaching how to make software here — I’m talking about the technologies used to make software. So don’t confuse this with a step-by-step tutorial. This is about choosing the right weapon.

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Defining Software

Before we argue about tools, let’s define the thing itself.

Software is any set of instructions that tells a computer what to do — wrapped in a way humans can interact with. That could be a desktop app, a mobile app, a website, a CLI tool, or even a game.

A calculator is software. A browser is software. Your code editor is software.

The difference between good and bad software usually comes down to:

• performance
• maintainability
• user experience
• and the tools used to build it

Which brings us to the real question.

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Widely Used Technologies (with Pros & Cons)

There is no “best” tool. Only trade-offs.

Below are some of the most common technologies used to build desktop software today.

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1) Electron

What it is: Electron lets you build desktop apps using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, powered by Chromium and Node.js.

Examples: VS Code, Discord, Slack, Figma (desktop)

Pros:

• Extremely popular
• Huge ecosystem
• Web devs feel at home instantly
• Easy to get started

Cons:

• Heavy. Like… HEAVY
• High RAM usage
• Bundles an entire browser with your app
• Performance is “okay”, not amazing

Verdict: Good for fast shipping. Bad if you care deeply about efficiency.

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2) Flutter Desktop

What it is: Flutter uses Dart to render UI using its own rendering engine instead of native widgets.

Examples: Internal tools, startups, cross-platform apps

Pros:

• Single codebase for Windows, macOS, Linux
• Beautiful UI out of the box
• Very consistent design

Cons:

• Desktop support still feels secondary
• Not truly native
• Dart ecosystem is smaller

Verdict: Great UI. Slightly awkward for serious desktop-native workflows.

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3) .NET MAUI

What it is: Microsoft’s cross-platform framework using C# and .NET.

Examples: Enterprise apps, internal tools

Pros:

• Strong tooling (Visual Studio)
• Deep Windows integration
• C# is mature and powerful

Cons:

• Cross-platform pain
• macOS/Linux experience isn’t great
• Heavy Microsoft ecosystem dependency

Verdict: Solid if you’re already in the .NET world.

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4) Qt

What it is: A mature C++ framework for building high-performance native applications.

Examples: Autodesk tools, KDE apps, professional software

Pros:

• Extremely fast
• Truly native
• Industry-proven
• Massive feature set

Cons:

• Steep learning curve
• C++ complexity
• Licensing can get tricky

Verdict: Powerful. Not beginner-friendly. Used by pros who know what they’re doing.

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5) Tauri

What it is: A lightweight alternative to Electron using Rust for backend and web tech for UI.

Examples: Modern indie apps, performance-focused tools

Pros:

• Very small bundle size
• Much better performance than Electron
• Secure by design

Cons:

• Rust is HARD
• Smaller ecosystem
• Debugging can hurt your soul

Verdict: Amazing tech. Brutal learning curve.

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6) PyQt / PySide

What it is: Python bindings for Qt.

Examples: Scientific tools, internal apps, quick prototypes

Pros:

• Python simplicity
• Rapid development
• Qt power without C++ pain

Cons:

• Slower than C++ Qt
• Packaging is painful
• Python performance limits

Verdict: Great for tools. Not ideal for large consumer apps.

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7) Game Engines

What it is: Using engines like Unity or Godot to build non-game software.

Examples: Launchers, simulators, experimental tools

Pros:

• Fast prototyping
• Powerful rendering
• Familiar if you’re a game dev

Cons:

• UI feels “gamey”
• Not meant for standard software UX
• Overkill for normal apps

Verdict: Works. But often feels wrong.

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8) Wails

What it is: A framework that lets you build desktop apps using Go for backend and web tech for frontend.

Examples: Indie tools, utilities, productivity apps

Pros:

• Go is simple and fast
• Much lighter than Electron
• Clean architecture
• Native performance
• No Chromium bloat

Cons:

• Smaller community
• Less plug-and-play magic
• You need to understand backend logic

Verdict: This is what I use currently. Clean, efficient, and fits my brain perfectly.

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Confused? Good.

If you’re confused — that’s normal.

Here’s how to make the decision easier:

Start with simpler technologies:

• Electron
• Flutter
• PyQt

Then try this approach:

Pick one tiny project — like a stopwatch or calculator. Implement it in multiple technologies. Or even generate starter code using AI just to feel the structure.

Look at:

• folder layout
• build time
• performance
• how painful debugging feels

You can also watch tutorials for each and see what matches your vibe.

Personally:

• I tried Tauri — Rust was too hard
• I tried Game Engines — didn’t match the vibe
• I tried Electron — good but HEAVY AF
• I landed on Wails — and stayed

Your answer might be different.

That’s fine.

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Outro

There is no perfect tool. Only tools that fit you.

Pick something. Build something small. Feel the pain early. Switch when it stops making sense.

That’s how real software developers are made.

And one more thing — don’t blindly listen to creators who say “X dominates Y” or “this tool is objectively better.” Most of that is contextless noise.

Build your own mindset by trying things yourself. Match tools to your vibe, your workflow, and your goals.

If you need to choose fast, here’s a simple trick: Take a sheet of paper, write your project name on top, list what you actually need — performance, UI, portability, speed — then use AI to see which tech matches best.

And if I missed any technology here, drop it in the comments.

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