This isn't exactly a fad, but I'm the creator of https://github.com/skinnyjames/hokusai-pocket, which can produce standalone GUI binaries with MRuby.

The Hokusai Pocket binary has commands for both running apps and publishing them. In order to publish you'll need docker installed. The app will be cross-compiled for x86 linux, windows, and osx. More architectures and platforms could be supported, but the build scripts will need to be updated.

Note: This is a ton of ground to cover, so there will be some weirdness, but since it's Ruby, generally everything can be patched anyway. Doing stuff with text can be a bit fickle at times, so I'm open to suggestions, but the good news is that you can roll all of your own components instead of just using built-ins.

Attached a demo of a paint program that I'm working on.