ashsys

There is already an experimental macOSX port in boden. More desktop support is a future goal. The library is designed to support all types of operating systems.

Author here. We didn't expect so much attention and are happy about the feedback! Ask us anything.

With regard to the GPL licensing issues brought up here: We are aware that the GPL is not sufficient and we are in the process of adding an LGPL option. This will allow you to publish apps based on Boden on the iOS app store.

Author here. We are aware of the issues with the GPL. We are in the process of adding an LGPL licensing option.

Boden author here, a bit overwhelmed by the feedback. We are in the process of releasing a new version that will change the license to LGPL / Commercial.

For the first release we are sticking with Mobile, but Desktop is "next on the list". ( And there is rudimentary macOS support right now )

Author here. We’re still in the process of figuring out what the right open-source licensing model for Boden should be. In the long run, development must be financed by a viable business model as Boden is not a hobby project. We’re considering adding a commercial option later, ending up with a dual GPL/commercial license similar to other projects. We’re happy to hear your thoughts about other licensing options!

Author here. The goal of Boden is very much that the applications should look and feel as if they were custom-coded for the specific platform. We also think that custom widgets often fall slightly short of the native feel, as other commenters have pointed out. While it is certainly possible to make them 100% consistent with other native apps on the platform, it is a lot of work to get all the details right. And not all frameworks manage to do that.

We wanted to try a different approach. Why not just use what the platform gives you and always get the right look & feel out of the box? That certainly creates its own challenges, like having to provide a good abstraction layer for the core application code. But you do not have to worry about look, feel, drawing performance, interactions with other OS features and the like. And when the OS changes something then the app is automatically up-to-date.