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Trivial multi-platform app deployment

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Qt Shop

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Qt Shop

Trivial multi-platform app deployment

Trivial multi-platform app deployment

Trivial multi-platform app deployment

Trivial multi-platform app deployment

Roberto Alsina
Roberto Alsina
Roberto Alsina
Roberto Alsina
1 Campaign |
$85 USD 5 backers
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Intro

How hard could it be to make multiplatform desktop app
deployment absolutely easy? Well, I am guessing: not very hard, with the right tools.

Here’s the trick: see what works in the real world, and adopt it.

Question: what has deployed billions of apps and has its users happy?

Answer: phone app stores.

This project aims to build an app store where cross-platform apps written using PyQt can be deployed with one click to all major desktop platforms.

It is possible. I know how to do it.

Here are some details of the proposal:

As I see it, a reasonable app store has the following components:

A Stable Deployment Target

You can’t deploy from the store if you don’t know what you are deploying
into. If the target platform is shaky, you just can’t know how to deploy
without user assistance, and we are trying to make this easy for the
user, which means that’s not acceptable.

So, what’s a stable deployment target we can provide?

  • PyQt (so we can deploy GUIs to all major desktop platforms)
  • Python standard library
  • Selected modules

What can be (and should be) bundled with the app?

  • Pure python modules
  • Artwork and other resources

What may be bundled:

  • Python modules written in C/C++, but you then have to redo the app
    for each platform, and that kinda sucks.

Deployment Services

  • Apps should be able to check if there is a new version of them in the
    store, to ask for upgrades.
  • Apps should be added by the deployment platform nicely into the host
    system’s menus, desktop, etc.

Monetization Services

  • Some way to charge for apps. Even for open source apps, you could ask
    for U$S0.99 if you install them through the store. Optional, of course,
    and up to the app owner.
  • Ad platform? There must be a good one for desktop apps somewhere?

The Store Itself

  • A website that downloads a “package” associated with a local deployment
    application.
  • A app store app. Install things not via web, but via a desktop application.

I don’t expect a functional version of this would take me more than a week to
implement. Of course then there are all sorts of usability, looks, etc. things
to consider.

The platform would be released under GPLv2 or later.

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