The Microsoft Build conference is quite mind blowing this year.
It seems that Win32 apps will be accepted into Windows Store, but too early to tell if it means VS apps only – or apps from other tools, such as RAD Studio, as well. Windows Store apps will be deployed in a virtualized sandbox – sort of – which means that when you uninstall, no crap is left behind on disk, nor in Registry. How this will work with stuff like addons – remains to be seen.
Their new approach to cross platform is a game changer. If you got the time, you need to watch this. VS can now compile Android/Java apps and iOS Objective-C apps into Windows Apps.
Oh, and the new Universal Apps are crazy cool.
Time to add to the skillset, for sure!
Don’t worry, though. I still love Delphi 🙂
P.S. HoloLens is also starting to look super sexy. All in all, MS suddenly is back as the most vibrant of our platform vendors, outdoing Google, Apple and others in functional coolness.
I just read about. That version of free VS will support development for both iOS & Android platforms?
Windows Store apps will be deployed in a virtualized sandbox – sort of – which means that when you uninstall, no crap is left behind on disk, nor in Registry.
Docker technology? Maybe Docker Lite.
It’s not quite the same as Docker, but is based on App-V. http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/enterprise/products-and-technologies/mdop/app-v.aspx
That said, MS is adding Docker support for both Windows and Linux to Azure.
You can already offer Win32 apps in the Windows App Store. But instead of receiving a re-packaged install via the store you will be directed to another website where you can buy and download the Win32 app. But, yes, the repackaging and sandboxing for Win32 apps is new … and nice.
We use this process already for executing a final Windows compatibility test for our own software – but without publishing it. It’s a quite comfortable automatic test that covers installation, execution and un-installation of your software and includes a huge set of compatibility and security tests. For each problem identified in your software this test provides very helpful guidelines for solving these problems.
Fred Ahrens – How much red tape and config is it to get started with that compatibility testing?
Lars Fosdal You’ll need a Microsoft developer account and your setup.exe. In the developer account you start the publishing of a desktop app, get a link to the a download for the testing package and then you just point to your setup.exe.
This can also be done without the Microsoft developer account and starting the publishing process there, but there you’ll get a very good guideline for executing the test.
Fred Ahrens Do you need a code signed certificate for the application and setup.exe ?
Brett Wilton yes