Custom Windows desktop software development
A desktop application that reaches files, printers and hardware on the machine, where a browser simply cannot go.
When a desktop application is still the right call
We regularly meet companies that were sold a web tool for a use that does not suit one, and who now work around the problem with an intermediate spreadsheet. A browser cannot see the local disk, talks poorly to a serial port, and forces a dialog box for every print.
Installed software removes those limits. It works inside the company's folders, drives a device, keeps running when the connection drops, and synchronises when it returns.
- Reading and writing in folders and network shares
- Driving serial, USB or network peripherals
- Direct label and document printing, with no dialog
- Offline operation with deferred synchronisation
- Integration with accounting or management software already in place
How we build them
We use the same foundations as for the web, packaged for the workstation. The interface is written once, business logic is shared with the web application where one exists, and the executable carries what it needs so that nothing has to be installed beforehand.
Installation is designed for a fleet. An administrator must be able to deploy to fifty machines without visiting each one, and updates must happen on their own.
- Packaged for Windows 10 and 11, 64 bit
- Silent installer, deployable by group policy
- Automatic background updates, with rollback available
- Signed executable, to avoid security warnings
- Local log and error reporting to a server you control
Living with what is already there
Desktop software rarely lands on a clean machine. It has to get along with accounting software, a legacy database, sometimes an application that is no longer maintained but that nobody can do without. We treat that coexistence as a design constraint rather than an integration detail.
- Data migration from existing software, including old systems
- Exchange by file, shared database or programming interface
- Coexistence with the business tools already installed
- Operating documentation handed to your own IT staff
Custom Windows desktop software development
Will the software work without an internet connection?
Yes, if the use demands it. Data entered offline is kept on the machine and uploaded as soon as the connection returns, with an explicit rule for concurrent edits. It is a design decision taken at the start, not an option added afterwards.
Do we also need a server?
Not always. For a standalone machine a local database is enough. As soon as several people share the same data a server becomes necessary, and it can be hosted on your premises or with us in Switzerland.
What about macOS or Linux?
The same base produces a macOS or Linux build without rewriting, but each system adds its own signing, installation and testing recipe. We price that separately rather than promising it for free.
Software development
Web, mobile and business applications tailored to your organisation.
In the division Software development
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