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Desktop apps

Windows desktop application development, from Italy

Not everything belongs in a browser. When a program has to run on a computer even without internet, talk to an instrument plugged in over USB, read folders full of files or grind through data for hours, an installed application is still the right answer. I have delivered five of them, and each one replaced a job that used to be done by hand.

Illustrazione 3D di una finestra con la scritta PC Illustrazione 3D di una persona con un pennello

What you get:

How it works

From a job done by hand to a program that does it

Desktop applications nearly always start from the same sentence: «every week I spend two hours doing this». The craft is in working out exactly what those two hours are, and then removing the hours without removing the control.

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We look at the job done by hand

Together, on the computer where it happens. Which files, which steps, where the mistakes come from. Without this you build a program that solves an imagined problem.

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We decide what to automate and what not to

Not everything is worth automating: some decisions are right to leave to a person. The program should take away the drudgery, not the responsibility.

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An interface that explains itself

Few screens, buttons where you would go looking for them. People who use these programs do not want to learn a program: they want to finish sooner.

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First installable version

A real executable to try on the actual computer, not a presentation. That is almost always where the case nobody mentioned comes to light.

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Tested on the real data

With your files and your volumes. A program that works on ten rows and dies on ten thousand is not finished.

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Installation and handover

Installer, instructions, and the commented source code. If somebody else works on it one day, they find things where they should be.

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Support after handover

Fixes and new features as the work changes. These programs live for years, and nobody uses something for years if it cannot be repaired.

The tools. Python with Qt and PySide for the interfaces, multi-threaded processing where speed matters, local databases, and dialogue with hardware: thermal printers, readers, instruments on a serial port, MQTT for networked devices.

If instead the program has to be used by several people or from outside the office, a web app is almost always the better buy: it opens in a browser and does not have to be installed on every computer. Have a look at web app and business system development. At the first meeting I tell you which of the two suits your case, including when the answer bills me less.

Where I work. I am based in Abruzzo, in central Italy, and I work remotely across Italy and abroad. For desktop applications a meeting in person is more useful than usual: it helps to see the computer and the instruments the program will have to run with, so I travel for it when the distance makes sense.

Work done

Three programs delivered, and what they solved

Each case study sets out the problem it started from, how it was solved and what was learned. These are programs in use, not exercises.

9x Finder: duplicate and similar images

Search split across threads inside folders holding thousands of files.

Work Planner: the visit calendar

Builds the weekly round on its own, by parts due and how close the customers are.

Audio Server: six channels over MQTT

Volumes, stop per channel and connection monitoring. It talks to the hardware.

Frequently Asked Questions

And if you are not sure whether you need an installed program or a web app, ask: the answer is free.

It depends how much it has to do: a program that automates one repetitive job and a complete management system are not the same price. The first meeting and the quote are free, and if a web app would serve you better than an installed program, I say so.

A first installable version you can try in three or four weeks, because that is the moment the case nobody mentioned comes out. From there it gets adjusted against the real data.

Yes, and it is one of the reasons an installed program is sometimes chosen over a website: it runs on the computer, with its own data, even if the line drops. Where it is needed it can then sync once the connection is back.

Yes: I hand over commented source code and the documentation. That is not a token promise, it is the reason these programs last for years: whoever works on it afterwards finds things where they should be.

Yes, and it is often the very reason an installed program is needed: thermal printers, readers, instruments on a serial port, networked devices over MQTT. The Audio Server drives six audio channels in exactly that way.

What Do You Need?

Ask for a free consultation

    Where I Work

    Abruzzo, Italy, and remotely anywhere

    Email

    info@oriondev.it

    Phone

    +39 392 342 3067

    What Clients Say

    Read The Client Reviews

    ‘The software Orion delivered went well beyond what I expected. He was precise, professional and followed my instructions to the letter. In short, if you are looking for software built around your needs, go to him, you will not be making a mistake.”

    sethdeangelis

    Fiverr review

    ‘’Thanks to Orion I got my first website and I am really pleased with the result, because it matches the idea I started with. Polite and professional, and always available for changes afterwards. I warmly recommend his work.”

    Amalia Di Tecco

    Google review

    ‘’Orion built a store from scratch for my e-commerce in no time at all. I can only recommend him to anybody who wants their website done to a really professional standard. Very quick to reply, and faultless after-sales support.”

    RetroGaming24

    Google review

    ‘’An excellent professional, superb communication, attentive to every detail, and constant support. I recommend him to anybody who needs software built.”

    rizzoivan

    Fiverr review

    ‘’Great seller highly recommend and provided a proffesional service as well as a polished project that met my expectation. Recommend this seller, very kind and great communication throughout the project!”

    kurt_mendoza

    Fiverr review

    ‘’Perfect, excellent seller and an expert programmer, highly recommended. I will be building more software with him.”

    secupry

    Fiverr review