Minus Java if you wanted to develop a UI for an application that needed to be cross platform, what would you go with?
MEAN or MERN or MEVN stack as a desktop web app.
Easily port to Electron if need native I/O functions.
If you are making something where resources are critical, then you need to invest into a systems level programming language/compiled language. In this case nothing will be cross platform completely, as different OS uses different libraries; so anything thatās not in the standard library.
For an interpreted language, that is not java, Iād go with python.
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As I thought would happen, a web framework was the first recommendation. And that isnāt a bad thing per say.
I was considering the Qt framework.
C++. If you are not familiar with it then you will be totally lost. This is also compiled, and great for native run times.
Chances are that if youāre trying to make something cross platform then pretty much anything consumer grade worth using has a web browser; if it doesnāt then you will be working in Assembly for embedded programming, or what ever standard libraries ship with the device.
It depends on what youāre making; if its not performance critical, then using a web language is a great choice for something very well polished with little dev time. If something needs the native run-times and high performance of a compiled language than it will be specific; QT framework would be a good choice for this; but you will quickly find yourself spending lots of time reading the documentation on how to do basic things if youāve never done it before.
But if youāre doing it to learn something then sure go ahead if you want.
I have worked with C++ before. That being said, this would for sure be a step up. Doable? Yes. Challenge? Also, yes. Worth it? Likely.
Web frameworks are also appealing. More so in extending the application via a web server to monitor hardware. I would like the core application to be desktop centric with something very much geared towards that.
So I guess to accurately answer your question, we need to know what you are trying to make, how much time/resources you have to complete the project, time frame, and existing knowledge of languages.
As an example, there are insane amount of things you can do with javascript. Full stack, REST api server backends with client front ends, browsers plug ins, and even alexa/google home integration; all with javascript alone.
A computer monitoring suite. It is basically a program to control crypto-currency miners. It would extend both mining softwares APIās and CRMās such as Google Sheets (yes people use Sheets like this) and Airtable (among others). I have not fully developed the thought, but this should give you an idea of what I am after.
Make it your devember project 
Nodejs would be by far the easiest.
ES6 and ES2017 have built in stuff to work with compiled C/C++ code, so you could work with the APIās via javascript.
https://kripken.github.io/emscripten-site/docs/porting/connecting_cpp_and_javascript/
Not to mention there is WebAssembly with is high-performance abstraction of compiled code which interacts via javascript.
Competition in this space is intense. How do I monetize with Node when everyone can see the code? I like that idea but fail to see how to succeed.
Thatās the question isnāt it?
AFAIK, all the other projects are OSS, look at them and see how they monitize.
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Iāll take that comment and raise you this: https://github.com/nayafia/lemonade-stand
Considering a closed source ācoreā with an open source āpluginā/extension/scripting system.
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I am not opposed to closed source, so long as its libre.
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Yes. While I would prefer full open source (as in all source code exposed), I struggle with how to both establish a revenue stream and maintain it.
If it gets good enough, plug your own wallet for tips.
Patreon/donation button?
Would not work. Miners are stingy as f.
Backend FOSS, with the front end being a āconvienceā and charged like $5 for or something like that.
So if people donāt want to the use the cli for free then they can pay.
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Oooooh, now that is interesting. Maybe.
See possibilities. Just gotta think around.
For sure! I know some aspect needs to be closed and some aspects open. Just need to find the balance.
Like I said I would prefer full open, but I just donāt know how that makes money in this case.
So if you are going to go with the libre cli with a paid gui front-end then you can offer up the code on windows 10 in the store, or as an app on a phone which controls the āserverā part running on your rig through api calls and reports statistics and such. That way, you could keep the convenience private while still saying your software is libre because technically it would be. As anyone could roll their own frontend.
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