This includes different programming languages, frameworks, and architecture decisions. Like with all software, there are many different ways to go when developing desktop applications. Arguably, desktop apps have less complexity and development is easier. You get to work with excellent mature technologies that stood the test of time.
While the previous statement might be true to startups, there is still an incredible amount of software development happening in desktop applications. When smartphones became popular, mobile applications came to be in huge demand, pushing desktop applications into third place. However, with the rise of the internet, web applications took over with an incredible pace. Desktop application development dominated the software world for many years.