So you want to write an "app"

A hands-on comparison of native app development across seven platforms: standard C, C/POSIX, GTK/GNOME, Qt/KDE, WinUI 3, SwiftUI, and Jetpack Compose. The author built a simple dice-roller app on each platform, adding persistent settings and localization support to stress-test platform integration. Key findings: GNOME suffers from poor conceptual documentation and silent failures; KDE/Qt is solid but hampered by CMake pain; WinUI 3 works but feels uninspired amid Microsoft's brand confusion; SwiftUI is fun but locked into Apple's walled garden; Jetpack Compose feels unpolished and its documentation is intentionally fragmented. The author ultimately recommends Qt for native cross-platform development, while lamenting the overall poor state of developer experience across all platforms.