[HN Gopher] Show HN: EXT - an easy way to build cross-platform d...
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Show HN: EXT - an easy way to build cross-platform desktop software
Hi HN! If you've ever tried to build a desktop app, you probably
understand our frustrations with how challenging it is to build one
and make it available on Mac, Windows, and Linux. Even with
Electron, you still have to set up your own build pipelines,
updating mechanisms, code-signing, deployments, and deal with
cross-platform compatibility issues. We built EXT to make building
cross-platform desktop software easier! Dog-fooding our own APIs,
we ported 36 initial games and utilities to the EXT store (all
free), and we've open-sourced all of them:
https://github.com/extpkg If you're into casual web games or want
to check out some fun and useful utilities like JS Paint (inspired
by '95 MS Paint), you can check it out here: https://ext.store --
Features of EXT -- - All extensions work offline (we call apps on
the platform "EXTensions" :drum_with_drumsticks:). - Once
installed, extensions load instantly. - All extensions are
available on Mac, Windows and Linux. - There are a variety of games
including platformers, strategy games, puzzle games, and more... -
All the extensions currently available are free! -- What's
Currently Available on EXT? -- Utilities - JS Paint - Inspired by
95 MS Paint - Excalidraw - whiteboarding tool - EXTDraw -
whiteboarding tool Games - 2001: a Space Opera - Backcountry -
Bounce Back - Break Lock - CHOCH - Diver Down - Evil Glitch - Fire
& Fondness 2 - Gods Gambit - Klondike Solitaire - Little Spy -
Memory Override - Null Dagger - Only - Planet Waves - Planetfall -
Radius Raid - Resistor - Retrohaunt - ROTA - Shifty Dungeon - Space
Garden - Space Huggers - SpacePi - Starcatcher - Techmaniac - The
Adventures of Captain Callisto - The Chroma Incident - The March of
the White King - Tiny Crate - Totem Storm - Triangle: Back to Home
- Vapor Trails -- Interested in building your own extension? --
Our API docs can be found here - https://docs.ext.store/ Open-
source example apps (all the extensions above) can be found here -
https://github.com/extpkg - Thanks for checking out EXT! - We're
grateful that you decided to check out EXT! If you're looking for
a few games to get started, we personally love Vapor Trails, ROTA,
Techmaniac, and Breaklock. Let us know what you think!
Author : Overhear_Diem
Score : 15 points
Date : 2024-01-14 19:37 UTC (3 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (ext.store)
(TXT) w3m dump (ext.store)
| janice1999 wrote:
| What is the product here? Do you need a licence to commercialise
| applications built with the framework or is your business plan
| taking a percentage of store sales?
| Overhear_Diem wrote:
| The product is both the store and the extensions! Without the
| extensions, the store isn't interesting. Users want to install
| only useful / interesting software, and developers want to see
| what's possible to create. For now, this is just a fun project
| for us to work on, that's why the extensions are free, but in
| the future, we may take a percentage of store sales if a
| developer uses our payments API.
| krapht wrote:
| This post is way less informative than the FAQ on your website. I
| clicked the links thinking I'd get an alternative to JavaFX, Qt,
| or Electron, but instead I found this which does a better job of
| explaining what this actually is:
|
| EXT Technical FAQ
|
| What is EXT?
|
| EXT is a platform that allows third party developers to install,
| load, run, publish and monetize JavaScript-based extensions and
| native modules, while giving end-users complete control over each
| extension's permissions. EXT also includes a store where end-
| users can find and purchase approved extensions (though the
| platform also allows side-loading private extensions and
| modules).
|
| How do extensions work?
|
| Internally, EXT uses the V8 engine to run extensions, which makes
| their execution extremely fast. Our build pipeline allows us to
| integrate the latest V8 engine versions automatically, which
| means you are always going to be up to date with the latest
| security updates when using EXT. The V8 engine itself does not
| provide any APIs to extensions, all it can do is run JavaScript
| code. This is why we allow developers to load EXT modules (which
| provide functionality) into their extensions. If an extension
| wants to use an API, it must do so via a module.
| Overhear_Diem wrote:
| Good point, thank you for bringing this up!
|
| Our landing page is tailored more for end users, and our API
| docs are linked at the bottom of the website.
|
| In case anyone else is looking, technical details can be found
| at http://docs.ext.store and the technical FAQ can be found at
| https://docs.ext.store/ext-technical-faq
| graiz wrote:
| I like the idea of a JS based app-store. Interesting. It may be
| difficult to get normies to install the app but I like the idea.
| Overhear_Diem wrote:
| Based on our research, people care about what's in the store,
| rather than the store itself. If there are interesting
| extensions in the store, our theory is that people are more
| likely to install the app (because they want the functionality
| of the extension).
| falserum wrote:
| How ext differs from a browser? Browsers already run js. I assume
| there is something to gain.
| Overhear_Diem wrote:
| We offer some additional modules (https://docs.ext.store/) that
| allow you to leverage desktop features (like customizing the
| window design, etc.), that aren't currently available in
| browsers.
| awei wrote:
| I like the idea too, it feels like a browser able to run the same
| software/website/tool in html/css/javascript on many different
| platforms, with monetization based on paying users and not ads.
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(page generated 2024-01-14 23:01 UTC)