Wookash Podcast Programming UI
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Oct 11, 2025 Nick Barker, an experienced systems programmer and maintainer of Clay, joins UI engineer Anton Mikhailov, known for his work on Dreams and Substance 3D Modeler, alongside Ramon Santamaria, creator of Raylib. They explore the nuances of immediate versus retained UI modes, the complexities of text editing, and the challenges of contrasting web and desktop UIs. The trio also dives into the importance of cross-disciplinary skills and share practical insights on animations and performance trade-offs, making for a rich and informative discussion.
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Immediate Vs Retained Is An API Choice
- Immediate vs retained is mainly an API/mental-model choice: immediate declares UI each frame, retained stores widget objects.
- You can mix styles; many systems use retained layout with immediate rendering or vice versa.
Ownership Shapes UI Paradigms
- Ownership of UI elements defines the retained vs immediate boundary: who owns the button matters.
- Immediate-mode reduces lifetime juggling because the UI is re-declared each frame rather than owned by the caller.
Use OS Text Widgets Or Mature Libraries
- For production-grade text input, prefer OS-native widgets or proven libraries to avoid replicating complex behavior.
- Replicating clipboard, IME, undo, and selection behavior is costly and often reinvented poorly.