Module 1 — The Desktop Mindset

Before writing a single widget, it is worth understanding what makes desktop development genuinely different from web development — and why that difference matters for how you structure your thinking and your code.

Ruby developers coming from Rails carry a set of assumptions that are completely correct for the web and completely wrong for the desktop. The sooner those assumptions are identified and set aside, the faster everything else will make sense.

Lessons in this module

1. Why desktop? The case for native apps — When a desktop app is the right tool, and when it isn’t
2. From Rails to wxRuby: a mental model shift — Event loops, persistent state, and the widget tree
3. Installation and your first window — Getting wxRuby3 running and writing hello world
4. Exploring the sampler — Using the bundled examples as a learning resource

What you will have by the end

A working wxRuby3 installation and a clear mental model of how desktop apps are structured. You will understand why things work the way they do in wxRuby3, which makes everything in later modules easier to absorb.