Happy 4th Of July + Needs Help

JS can run outside of a web browser and access your system resources using Node.js, Deno, or similar.

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Right but hes saying it would be less efficient then just using python and I’m saying I should just learn something like C at this point and do everything I need to do :person_shrugging:

I second the suggestion to use Node.js (or Deno) to be able to write Javascript that runs on the desktop or the command line. Code written will be cross platform to work on Linux, Windows (exe), and MacOs. For command line, simply download, but if you want a desktop GUI then use Electron. You can use any simple editor, though many use the VS Code free IDE from Microsoft.

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That’s not what I gathered. They just recommended Python for the task.

There are lighter alternatives that are starting to look like promising Electron alternatives like Tauri.

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Learning C or C++ is a good goal, though does not get you to “do everything”. Once you learn the language you then need to learn use the specific libraries and tools (Visual Studio probably since you ask about Windows) to interact with the user as a GUI desktop app. You can learn it all together, though typical first step is to learn the language.

My impression from your question is that you already know Javascript. I assume this is from some experience you have creating web pages. Node.js became popular in the past 10+ years because it allows people to use their web development javascript skills to also create applications that interact with the system. The same javascript skills, and re-used modularized code, can be contained within a browser app which also communicates with Node.js back-end system application. Typically a back-end application is a Webserver. This is what Glitch is, though the back-end can be changed (I do not know the exact details of how Glitch works).

This dual use functionality is what gave people the idea to create Electron, and other similar development environments (Tauri), to bundle frontend/backend javascript to allow you to create a single desktop app. Electron has complaints of high memory and performance issues, though still there are many desktop applications that are built with Electron. Examples are Discord, Slack, VSCode IDE, Skype, etc…

This is an endless conversation as new tools and languages evolve. Deno can be called the next generation of Node.js. Rust is a new-ish systems language that is compared to C/C++ (created by the Mozilla team for use in Firefox), and so is being used to create a new wave of applications. Python that you mentioned is also great to learn with a huge community of people to help, though I do not know about the extensions/libraries/tools used to create a single GUI Desktop that I believe you are asking in your original question.

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