Maui Project Wants to Bring Convergent Apps to Linux Desktops and Android

From the people behind Nitrux, a gorgeous Ubuntu-based GNU/Linux distribution focused on portable apps, here comes Maui Project, an open source community for building convergent apps for Linux desktops and Android phones.

Maui Project is creating MauiKit, a free and open-source modular front-end framework built with KDE Project’s Kirigami UI framework for creating mobile and convergent apps and Qt Quick Controls 2, a collection of templated controls and tools for building complete user interfaces in Qt Quick.

For those not in the know, convergent apps are apps whose interface adapts automatically to the screen size of the device they run on. For example, the same app can have a richer interface when it is run on a desktop computer and a slimmer look when it’s used on a mobile phone.

MauiKit aims to help application developers build convergent apps that work seamlessly on desktop computers and mobile phones, but a lot faster, using known technologies like C++, QML, and Qt.

What MauiKit promises is extremely fast development of beautiful desktop and mobile apps for powerful user experiences. The user interfaces built with MauiKit follow the Maui HIG (Human Interface Guidelines), which means that they look astonishing no matter the operating system you’re using.

As most of us Linux users are using Android phones, it makes sense to use the same apps on our PCs and mobile devices. Apps made with MauiKit use the same code for both mobile and desktop, which means that users will get the same set of features on either platform.

With the arrival of the Librem 5 and PinePhone Linux-based mobile phones in the hands of the community, I really hope to see more of these convergent apps available on these devices too. And MauiKit is here to make this dream come true by allowing application developers easily create useful and beautiful looking apps.

Below you can see some of the convergent apps that have been made with MauiKit and how they look on desktop and mobile. These include the Index file manager, Buho note-taking app, Pix image viewer and gallery, and VVave music player and organizer.

For more information on the MauiKit framework and how to get started with building convergent apps for Linux and Android, check out the official website.