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17. Desktop Distribution Deep Dive
Tauri advantages
- Installer sizes: 2.5–10 MB (vs. 80–150 MB for Electron)
- Idle memory: 30–40 MB (vs. 200–300 MB for Electron)
- Sub-second startup times
- 70,000+ GitHub stars, 35% year-on-year adoption growth
- Built-in auto-updater with Ed25519 signature verification
Code signing requirements
- macOS: Apple Developer Programme (£79/year) + notarisation mandatory. Unsigned apps trigger "damaged app" dialogue.
- Windows: EV certificate (£240–£480/year) for immediate SmartScreen bypass. Unsigned executables trigger warnings.
- Linux: Users more tolerant of unsigned software. Flathub + AppImage.
Discovery patterns for successful indie desktop apps
- Free or generous free tier drives adoption
- Organic search and content marketing drive discovery (Obsidian: 52.9% organic search traffic)
- Community building on Discord/Reddit/Twitter creates advocates
- Product Hunt launch provides initial visibility spike