pragmar

It's not configurable right now, but I have seen the feature in other products. If you want to chat about it off-thread, there's a contact form in the options page. Happy to chat.

I'm distributing msix (msixbundle) because it allows me to package a downloadable installer and a windows store upload. You should be able to double click the msixbundle to run the installer, powershell isn't necessary.

MSIX installers feel a bit odd, I think, because they're far less common than either msi or self extracting exe. They also virtualize the app. MSIX apps, for example, can't write to the canonical registry. It's not all upside, but it works well for my projects.

The SDK install is expected (if not already installed). It should hopefully have been automatically downloaded during the install process.

I don't mean to imply it's not possible, but I ran into issues packaging with Desktop Bridge and the web started pushing me toward extreme solutions, so I changed course. If there's a lesson here, it's to package early (and know what you are up against).

I realize now that the "Support" link is ambiguous. The price/free issue I'll think about how to make that clear, it's a good point. Going to wait for traffic to subside before making updates, but noted. Thanks

Thanks, yeah it is C#/.net9 and WinUI3. I started with C#/WPF, but wanted to get it on the Windows Store and couldn't figure out that would work with WPF.

Agreeable LLMs and embedded bias are surely a risk, but I don't think this a helpful frame. Most questions don't have correct answers, so it would follow that you'd want practical answers for those, and correct answers for the remainder.

Apple locks users in with software/services. nVidia locks in add-in board manufacturers with exclusive arrangements and partner programs that tie access to chips to contracts that prioritize nVidia. It happens upstream of the consumer. It's always a matter of degree with this stuff as to where it becomes anti-trust, but in this case it's overt enough for governments to take notice.

Became unusable for me (Firefox/Win) a few months back on my laptop with integrated intel graphics. Fine on other computers with more capable hardware. The solution was an extension called h264ify. There was something about the vp8/9 codec that was bringing Firefox to its knees. h264ify avoids those codecs altogether on Youtube.

This project started back in the day as native MVVM (UWP). Switched to Blazor Server/electron a few years back. For Maui, I had to move to Hybrid but I'm glad I did. Hybrid is pretty great, seems better in every way except routing and some aspnet functionality is lost. Faster app startups, and feels generally more responsive.

Avalonia looks pretty nice, but I've never tried it so I'm not sure how it compares.

I think with the distributed nature of a desktop app (running headless chrome), outside of cloud infrastructure/IPs, the internet is generally less defensive. It has bought some leeway, but I definitely should look into proxy support.

Congratulations on shipping, the site looks great. I've been working on a desktop app in the same space (website health/administration). It's been a similarly long journey. I've found marketing to be an uphill battle. It's a crowded marketplace, which in many ways indicates a healthy ecosystem, but difficult to crack nonetheless. Having a focused audience (e.g. bloggers) will help there. If you ever want to discuss marketing or talk shop, definitely reach out (ben at hn-username dot com)... maybe we could both learn something.

I remember Nate Silver speaking of the golden age of online poker, when amateurs were the dominant audience, and a decent (non-pro) strategy player could make a living. Word got out, and just like that, it was over.