Tag Archives: metro

Microsoft posts Windows 8 app porting guide roundup, forgets to include BASIC

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Microsoft posts Windows 8 app porting guide roundup, forgets to include BASIC

Let's say you're a developer eager to convert your apps for Windows 8 as soon as possible. Where do you start? Microsoft Developer Evangelist Jennifer Marsman is very much aware that you might be at a loss, so she has done the rather large favor of rounding up every porting guide the company has to offer in one handy place. Some of these are pure design guides, like a previously spotted iPad-to-Metro layout article, but others dig deep into converting code for the land of home tiles and charms. The focus is on porting from the web and Windows Phone 7, so we wouldn't work up hopes of bringing your high school computer class project to Metro. Still, Marsman is looking for more guides from readers; if you've developed just the technique to convert 10 PRINT "HELLO WORLD" 20 GOTO 10 into a tablet-native Windows 8 app, return the generosity and leave pointers at the source link.

Microsoft posts Windows 8 app porting guide roundup, forgets to include BASIC originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 27 May 2012 02:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft pulling free development tools for Windows 8 desktop apps, only lets you ride the Metro for free (update: confirmed)

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Windows 8 desktop on Qualcomm tablet

Microsoft has instituted a big change with its free Visual Studio 11 Express suite that's leaving some current- and soon-to-be Windows 8 developers up in arms: it's pulling support for creating anything but Metro-native apps. After 11 becomes the norm, desktop developers will need to either cling to Visual Studio 2010 for dear life or fork over the $500 for Visual Studio 11 Professional. Programmers won't have the option of backdoor coding, either, with both the compiler and toolchain being pulled from Windows' framework. The situation doesn't represent the end of the world for some developers -- more established pros don't balk at a $500 price, and third-party tools will likely live on -- but it sets a much higher price of entry for desktop apps developed through the official route, especially if you want to write games using XNA. We've reached out to Microsoft for a response, but for now we'd suggest setting aside five Benjamins if Start screen tiles and app charms aren't your cups of tea.

Update: We've confirmed with a Microsoft spokesperson that it's true you'll need Professional if you want to write desktop apps using Visual Studio. It's equally correct, though, that third-party developer kits will keep building desktop apps as long as they have their own compilers and related tools. Students can get Professional for free if they're in the Dreamspark program.

Microsoft pulling free development tools for Windows 8 desktop apps, only lets you ride the Metro for free (update: confirmed) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 May 2012 18:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Windows 8’s Metro version of IE 10 may keep Flash for edge cases

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Microsoft triggered some weeping and gnashing of teeth with its decision to keep Flash out of the Metro environment's Internet Explorer 10 browser in favor of HTML5, and it looks like that outpouring of grief has produced a compromise -- albeit with a catch. Leaks of the upcoming Windows 8 Release Preview purport to show Flash running on IE10 in the new interface, but only for certain popular sites (such as Disney's) that can be trusted with Flash and don't have an easy HTML5 fallback. The company hasn't confirmed the change, but it's thought that Microsoft has skipped the familiar plugin route in favor of just coding Flash support for a few sites at a low level. If that's what we see when the Release Preview goes public in June, it could serve as a bridge for parents worried their kids will miss out on Where's My Water? games while preserving a browser that's overall leaner, meaner and safer. We wouldn't hold out much hope for Windows 8 RT tablets running ARM chips, though, knowing that backwards compatibility doesn't exist and that Adobe might not be keen to revive Flash-on-ARM support it's trying to wind down.

Windows 8's Metro version of IE 10 may keep Flash for edge cases originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 19:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GitHub branches out, releases Windows client

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GitHub branches out, releases Windows client

GitHub, the version tracking and collaboration platform for developers, has proven quite popular, especially with the open source crowd. There's been one glaring issue with the dev hub, though -- lack of an easy to use Windows client. Sure, app creators could sync their changes though command line tools and SSH, but Mac devs have had a slick desktop app to call their own for sometime. Now Microsoft users get the same benefits, including the ability to merge branches and roll back changes, wrapped in pretty Metro-friendly package. You'll find more info and a download link at the source.

GitHub branches out, releases Windows client originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 May 2012 06:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft reveals more multi-monitor improvements in Windows 8 Release Preview (video)

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If you're a multitasking extraordinaire who depends on Windows as your primary computing platform of choice, there's a good chance you utilize more than one monitor to get your work done -- unfortunately, the seventh iteration of Microsoft's OS didn't offer as much support in this arena as most display warriors would prefer. The Consumer Preview of Windows 8 offered a few functionality improvements, and with its upcoming Release Preview, Microsoft is focusing on further enhancing the experience. Mark Yalovsky, a lead program manager on the User Experience team, put together a lengthy piece on what kind of goodies we can expect.

Among the highlighted changes is the ability to access the Start, app switching and charms menus from the corners on any monitor, rather than just having these options locked to only the primary display. The Release Preview also improves shared edges and corners so that the flow of cross-display navigation won't get interrupted by obnoxious corners popping up when you don't intend them to. Finally, the option of dragging and dropping Metro-style apps (as well as snapped apps) between monitors has also been included in the new build. These enhancements may seem small, but will go a long way toward appeasing those of us who can't live without more than one screen. For the full listing of feature changes, view Microsoft's video below and check out Mark's post at the source.

Continue reading Microsoft reveals more multi-monitor improvements in Windows 8 Release Preview (video)

Microsoft reveals more multi-monitor improvements in Windows 8 Release Preview (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 May 2012 13:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft sets sandbox boundaries for Metro developers

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With so many apps running around the Windows playground, Microsoft wants the grown-ups to be in charge of Metro. Programs for the new interface will be available only through the Windows Store, which will allow one-click installs, user feedback and crash monitoring. Developers shouldn't worry too much, as the heavy lifting for those features will all be handled by the OS. Redmond's demanding some tit-for-tat, however, asking programmers to resist the temptation to invoke APIs not included in the development kit. All the software will be vetted, App-Store style, while access to devices like GPS and cameras must be granted by users before the apps can grab them. We've already seen that the old BSOD is gone, so hopefully this new course plotted by Metro will keep those frowny faces away.

Microsoft sets sandbox boundaries for Metro developers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 May 2012 14:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kantar: Windows Phone clawing back share thanks to Nokia, but Android still rules the roost

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It's seldom the case that we get to look at world smartphone market share on a national level, but Kantar WorldPanel has given a rare peek that might give Windows Phone fans some good news to crow about. Even though things haven't always gone well for the Microsoft camp, Nokia phones like the Lumia 800 sparked a minor Renaissance in some countries in the three months leading up to mid-April: Windows Phone was up to between three and four percent in France, Italy, the UK and the US. The Metro interface must also be sehr gut for Germans, which nearly doubled Windows Phone's local share to six percent in that short space of time.

Kantar is eager to point out that it's still mostly a tale of Android and iOS successes, though. Google took extra ground in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK and the US, while Apple was on a tear both on its native soil and in the UK. HTC's upbeat predictions may have played a significant part in Android's continued rise -- the One X cracked the British top 10 list despite having only been in shops for a few days. About the only underdog story not going well in early spring was RIM's, where the BlackBerry's share of the US was cut to a third of its year-ago glory at three percent.

Kantar: Windows Phone clawing back share thanks to Nokia, but Android still rules the roost originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 02:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mozilla calls Windows RT a return to the ‘digital dark ages’ for limiting browser choice, Google nods in agreement

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Mozilla slaps Windows RT as a return to the 'digital dark ages' for limiting browser choice, Google waves fist angrily also

Mozilla is waving red flags about Microsoft's forthcoming Windows RT (the variety designed to run on ARM processors). It's claiming that only the Internet Explorer browser will run under the much more (in computing terms) privileged Windows Classic environment. It claims this effectively makes IE the only fully functioning browser on the platform, with everything else being denied access to key computing functions (running as a Metro app). Mozilla argues that if IE can run in Windows (rather than Metro) on ARM, then there's no reason why the other browsers can't. Mozilla then goes on to extend an invitation to Microsoft to "remain firm on its user choice principles". Meanwhile it's not just the Moz that has taken umbrage at the move, with CNET reporting that Google also isn't happy with the situation, saying "We share the concerns Mozilla has raised regarding the Windows 8 environment restricting user choice and innovation." We'll have to wait and see what Microsoft's take on the matter is, but for now it looks like the browser wars are back on.

Mozilla calls Windows RT a return to the 'digital dark ages' for limiting browser choice, Google nods in agreement originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 May 2012 08:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft gives Windows 8 developers a head start on Windows Store app submissions

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If you've been jonesing to get your app into the Windows Store and don't want to compete for attention with the developing masses when Windows 8 ships, Microsoft might just have your ticket to the front of the line. Developer Evangelist Matt Harrington is offering a fast track for developers that write a "great" app, contact him through his blog and meet all the app submission conditions needed to get Microsoft's rubber stamp. Along with receiving a token to enter the store well ahead of most others, those privileged few who clear the hurdles can get help from a Microsoft engineer to give their Windows 8 apps that extra polish. When the development floodgates open to everyone is still an unknown, although a handful of workshops between May 11 and June 8 should give app writers an edge in getting started.

Microsoft gives Windows 8 developers a head start on Windows Store app submissions originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 May 2012 21:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft shows devs the secrets to creating fluid animations in Windows 8 Metro apps

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Microsoft shows devs the secrets to creating fluid animations in Windows 8 Metro apps

As Microsoft brings its Metro style from the mobile world back to the desktop in Windows 8, it's also focusing on keeping the smooth animated transitions users have gotten used to on certain mobile platforms intact. A new post on the Windows 8 app developer blog breaks down exactly what devs can do to achieve a consistent and fluid style in their apps even when they're using the new look. Unless you're planning on getting your hands dirty with code there's not much to see other than the (incredibly brief) animation sample embedded after the break. Still, Microsoft says following its animation guidelines should be enough to keep GPU-powered animations flowing smoothly whether they're custom built or based on its own presets. Reactions to the new face of Windows have been decidedly mixed since the Consumer Preview launched, we'll see if this work pays off in third party apps that make the transition worthwhile.

Continue reading Microsoft shows devs the secrets to creating fluid animations in Windows 8 Metro apps

Microsoft shows devs the secrets to creating fluid animations in Windows 8 Metro apps originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 May 2012 16:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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