elixir-desktop vs live view native

[zoedsoupe]

how does this project differs from live view native?

i know live view native doesn't support desktop yet but i think maybe we can kinda put the effort on the same path?

[zoedsoupe]

awesome project though!

[dominicletz]

Hey @zoedsoupe thanks for your question!

This is a misunderstanding that is coming up quite commonly. Let me try to clarify and please raise any additional questions you have on this:

Elixir Desktop goal is to build Local-First applications using Elixir and specifically LiveView. A typical example of a local-first applications is a note taking that works offline.

• "Thick client" Local-First app
• Ships BEAM compiled for iOS and Android
• Runs beam locally (no server)

Elixir Native goal is to use LiveView strength to build native look and feel apps for iOS + Android

• "Thin client" uses http connection to a server
• Ships translation layer that converts liveview generated xml to native swift ui or android ui components
• Requires a central server

So these projects are actually very different, and in fact you could use them both together theoretically. E.g. if you want to create a local-first application with a native look and feel you can use Elixir Desktop to bundle and ship an app that runs locally with no internet connection and use Elixir Native to render locally the native UI. This would be an amazing combination and I would be happily accepting any PRs making this easier.

Cheers!

[noozo]

How about using elixir_desktop to build apps that connect to a different server than locally? Use case would be a desktop app that complements an existing LV website.

[dominicletz]

I'm not sure about that use case, e.g. you can just use any existing native webview to open an external URL, no need to compile or ship OTP/BEAM or Elixir with that then.