6 comments

  • d3Xt3r 1 hour ago
    WinApps doesn't use a Docker backend btw, you can use any Windows machine running anywhere - cloud, physical, container etc. All you need is the IP address of the box once it's set up.

    This looks great though. +1 choosing Qt instead of Electron. -1 for Python though. Otherwise, your approach ticks most of my boxes.

    One feature I'd like to see though is reverse file associations - basically associate Linux filetypes inside the Windows VM so that any file you open in a Windows app would open the file in Linux, assuming Linux has a file association for it. Say I've installed Directory Opus in the VM and I want to use it as my primary file manager in Linux, and say I double-click on a .xml file, I would like to open it in the Linux app associated with that filetype (which would be Kate in my case).

    • kernalix7 49 minutes ago
      Right, I had WinApps pinned to dockur in that comparison and missed the IP-based flexibility part. That's an actual difference, will fix the README.

      On Python: fair pushback. Picked it for stdlib coverage (zero runtime deps on 3.11+, one tomli fallback for 3.9/3.10) and iteration speed. Heavy lifting is in the container and FreeRDP so perf hasn't been the bottleneck, but yeah the language choice is a tradeoff.

      Reverse file association is interesting, hadn't thought about that direction. The v0.3.0 agent could probably handle it but I'd want to look at the security model first. Marking it TBD. If you open an issue with the use case that'd help me scope it.

    • thesuavefactor 31 minutes ago
      What's wrong with python for this use case?
  • deevus 1 hour ago
    Demo? Video? That's the first thing I want to see.
    • kernalix7 43 minutes ago
      Fair point. Working on it now — will push a screenshot and short clip soon.
  • satvikpendem 24 minutes ago
    So, Linux subsystem for Windows?
    • happymellon 9 minutes ago
      Since this is a UI forwarder to a Windows machine, I don't think so?
      • satvikpendem 5 minutes ago
        Well, WSL GUI apps are just a forwarder to a Linux VM in the Hyper-V hypervisor.
  • surajguptayc 1 minute ago
    [dead]
  • quincepie 18 minutes ago
    Might be harsh to say but not bothering to fix the spacing in the ai generated ascii diagram tells me how much i should be taking this project seriously.
    • walrus01 7 minutes ago
      Let's hope nobody teaches "AI" how to use aalib to generate cool looking renderings of things.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AAlib

    • kernalix7 7 minutes ago
      That's my mistake. I just focused on the functionally working, so I missed that point.
  • mtucker502 33 minutes ago
    Every reply by OP sounds like AI.
    • bugufu8f83 14 minutes ago
      Yes, looking at their profile it does look that way for all their contributions on HN. Ctrl+F "real" and Ctrl+F "genuine" as one quick indicator--AI absolutely loves these adjectives and their forms right now.
      • kernalix7 9 minutes ago
        The Korean intent is mine, but I run it through an LLM to phrase in English. That's where the pattern comes from. Will skip the LLM step from here.
      • thunderbong 8 minutes ago
        And "fair"
    • odie5533 2 minutes ago
      Fair hit, though I'd like to push back slightly
    • Zetaphor 14 minutes ago
      Terse sentences? This is how I naturally write and think out loud and I assure you I'm not an LLM
    • faangguyindia 8 minutes ago
      On Mac, you can select a text you write, right click > Writing tools, which uses AI to rewrite and proofread.
    • kernalix7 14 minutes ago
      Fair, English isn't my first language and I've been leaning on tooling. I'll dial it back.
      • trollbridge 0 minutes ago
        English-as-a-second language is very much welcome here--your grammar/spelling do not need to be perfect. Just try your best.