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Native Desktop App

The desktop app is Pando with a window of its own, on macOS, Windows and Linux. Same interface as the Web UI, but it lives among your other applications instead of among your browser tabs, like having a dedicated desk instead of borrowing a corner of the kitchen table.

What it does for you

  • A tap on the shoulder. Hand Pando a long job, minimise the window and do something else. A system notification tells you when the job is done or when Pando needs an answer.
  • Many things at once. Several sessions and several projects keep working in the background without getting in each other’s way.
  • Always within reach. Open it from the Dock, the Start menu or the application launcher. On Linux and Windows an icon in the system tray brings the window back or quits.
  • All the room for your work. The window has no separate title bar: the minimise, maximise and close buttons share one bar with the session title, so the content gets the full height. Drag that bar to move the window.
  • Private by default. Conversations, settings and history stay on your machine, and the app talks to its own engine over an encrypted local connection.
  • Trusted installers. The macOS installer and the Windows program are signed, so the system opens them without security warnings.

How it feels in practice

You click the Pando icon. The app opens in your home folder as a general workspace; from Projects you open the project you want, either as a tab in the same window or in a window of its own. Each window has its own folder, sessions and terminals.

On a Mac it also learns the same paths your terminal uses, so the tools you installed with Homebrew or a version manager are found without extra steps.

The first time, with nothing configured, the setup assistant greets you.

When to use it

  • Pando is part of your working day and deserves its own place.
  • You run long jobs and want to be told when they finish.
  • You juggle several projects.

On a machine without a screen, or from another device, use the Web UI instead.

Good to know

  • On Linux the window needs two common system libraries (GTK 3 and WebKitGTK). If one is missing, Pando names it and shows the command to install it for your distribution. The install script takes care of it.
  • With no graphical session at all, for example over SSH, Pando explains that there is no display to open a window on.
  • Opening a project as a tab keeps everything in one window and one tray icon; a separate window is something you ask for explicitly.

Next steps