Desktop apps are software programs that interact with the operating system instead of web-based or mobile apps. They can be any program so long as they run on a desktop computer and provide a user interface for input and output.
Desktop applications are usually used in one place but might have a “system tray” icon that remains visible on the screen. The term is also used to define an app that runs only on the desktop rather than being available through a browser or other means. Some desktop applications like word processing and media players allow you to perform different tasks, while others, such as gaming apps, are developed for entertainment.
Desktop application development is a process where developers build applications that can be used on desktops and laptops. Desktop app development is very similar to mobile app development in that software is developed for particular devices and operating systems. In this case, desktop development refers to software built to run on computers. There are three major operating systems that dominate the desktop development field; they are:
Most desktop software is native, which means it was specially designed and built for a particular operating system. However, developers can also create cross-platform desktop applications using desktop development tools such as Universal Windows Platform (UWP) and Electron, to name a few more popular frameworks. Once again, this is similar to mobile app development.
Desktop apps do not require an Internet connection to run, and they must be downloaded to your computer in order to run. Plus, desktop applications can access the device’s drivers on your computer (i.e. speakers, etc.). You might not be aware that only software downloaded to your machine can access the device’s drivers. For example, the only reason you can play sound from a web app is that your web app is running on a desktop app, which is your browser of choice (i.e., Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc.). The desktop applications can be developed in different languages, including C/C++, Java, Python, Ruby on Rails (ROR), PHP, Perl, etc., typically using libraries like Qt or GTK+