Book Image

Hands-On GUI Application Development in Go

By : Andrew Williams
Book Image

Hands-On GUI Application Development in Go

By: Andrew Williams

Overview of this book

Go is often compared to C++ when it comes to low-level programming and implementations that require faster processing, such as Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs). In fact, many claim that Go is superior to C++ in terms of its concurrency and ease of use. Most graphical application toolkits, though, are still written using C or C++, and so they don't enjoy the benefits of using a modern programming language such as Go. This guide to programming GUIs with Go 1.11 explores the various toolkits available, including UI, Walk, Shiny, and Fyne. The book compares the vision behind each project to help you pick the right approach for your project. Each framework is described in detail, outlining how you can build performant applications that users will love. To aid you further in creating applications using these emerging technologies, you'll be able to easily refer to code samples and screenshots featured in the book. In addition to toolkit-specific discussions, you'll cover more complex topics, such as how to structure growing graphical applications, and how cross-platform applications can integrate with each desktop operating system to create a seamless user experience. By delving into techniques and best practices for organizing and scaling Go-based graphical applications, you'll also glimpse Go's impressive concurrency system. In the concluding chapters, you'll discover how to distribute to the main desktop marketplaces and distribution channels. By the end of this book, you'll be a confident GUI developer who can use the Go language to boost the performance of your applications.
Table of Contents (25 chapters)
Title Page
Copyright and Credits
About Packt
Contributors
Preface
Comparison of GUI Toolkits
Index

Chapter 1. The Benefits of Native Graphical Applications

Since they first appeared in the 1970s, it has been clear that graphical interfaces make it easier to work with software applications. In the early days, they were typically presented through Windows, Icons, Menus and Pointer (WIMP) interfaces. While these varied in design across platforms and over time, the interactions have been relatively consistent.

Recent changes in software development have increased the understanding of user experience, which focuses on creating applications that are intuitive for even the least experienced computer user. This, combined with the mobile-driven move towards a post-WIMP approach to computer interaction, prompts the question: what's next for desktop computer software?

This chapter will cover the following topics:

  • The history of Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) through desktop, web, and mobile
  • The importance of a well-integrated and responsive application interface
  • User expectations of both online and offline native applications 
  • The developer benefits of building native graphical applications