Hello World in GTK[0] and Qt[1] is simpler than the OP's experience.

Gnome includes Gnome Builder[2] in most distributions, which makes it incredibly easy to start making Gnome/GTK apps. Developers can also leverage Flatpak and Flathub for near-universal distribution.

0. https://www.gtk.org/docs/getting-started/hello-world

1. https://doc.qt.io/archives/3.3/tutorial1-01.html

2. https://wiki.gnome.org/Apps/Builder