Using Gluon to build lightweight desktop applications

Gluon is a new framework designed for building desktop applications using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, offering a solution to the large bundle sizes typical of other frameworks such as Electron and Tauri. It stands out by utilizing the client's installed browsers for rendering, resulting in significantly smaller application sizes. While Gluon supports Chromium-based browsers and Firefox, and allows building with Node.js, Bun, and Deno, it does not yet support hot reload and relies on the presence of a supported browser. Despite its early stage, Gluon presents a promising alternative to existing frameworks by providing a simple architecture and support for various APIs, including inter-process communication and browser APIs. However, its limitations, such as the lack of hot reload and the execution of browser commands in-app, may affect the user experience. As Gluon continues to develop, it holds potential for growth in the desktop application development landscape.