September 30th, 2026 ×
I’m Using GPUI For Everything
Wes Bos Host
Scott Tolinski Host
Scott and Wes ditch Electron and Tauri for GPUI, the GPU accelerated Rust UI framework from the Zed team. They get into its React-like API, styling that feels a lot like Tailwind, GPUI Kit components, the community fork drama, and the tiny desktop apps Scott has built with it.
Show Notes
- 00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
- 01:24 Electron, Tauri, and the Trouble With Web Views
- 04:05 Enter GPUI: Why We Don't Take Money to Talk About Tools
- 05:32 Brought to you by Sentry.io
- 05:59 What GPUI Is: GPU Accelerated, Cross Platform, Native All the Way Down
- 06:50 A React Like API in Rust: Divs, Flex, and Chained Methods
- 09:35 Components, Props, and State in GPUI
- 11:21 How Much of CSS Does GPUI Actually Reimplement?
- 12:52 Flexbox Everywhere, But Where Is CSS Grid?
- 14:17 Where Does Your App Logic Live? No RPC Layer Needed
- 15:53 Render vs RenderOnce: Stateful and Static Components
- 16:57 GPUI Kit: The shadcn of GPUI
- 18:46 GPUI CE: The Community Fork and Ecosystem Tension
- 21:29 Apps Scott Built With GPUI: Gendo, File Bro, and Mr. Space
- 22:48 Why Tiny Utility Apps Should Stay Tiny
- 24:25 File Bro: File Automations a la Hazel
- 25:27 Mr. Space: Building a macOS Window Manager
- 27:05 The Downsides: No Native UI Elements and No Browser DOM
- 29:56 Testing GPUI Apps With Jev and the Accessibility Tree
- 30:39 GPUI Mobile: Experimental, But It Works
- 31:52 Final Verdict: GPUI for Personal Desktop Software
Hit us up on Socials!
Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads
Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads
