Microsoft bascule son « Windows App SDK » en open source

Tired of juggling between Winforms, WPF and UWP? Furthermore, The Windows App SDK had to resolve the developers’ procuations and daily life. Nevertheless, But the sauce did not take. In addition. Meanwhile, Microsoft seemed to be lacking in strategy and will leaving a blurring demotivating on the real future of its SDK. However, The publisher wants to correct the shooting by building a real community around its development kit. However, And, as he did with .NET, he plans to rely again on the open source ecosystem. In addition, Additionally, However, He announces his new strategy and an upcoming opening of the source code on GitHub. Nevertheless, An important step for all CIOs with many Windows development programs.

The Windows App SDK Today represents one of Microsoft’s strategic pillars to modernize the development of applications on microsoft bascule son « windows app new Windows. Nevertheless, This software infrastructure. Meanwhile. Therefore, launched in 2021 and microsoft bascule son « windows app known as code Project Reunionembodies Microsoft’s desire to modernize and unify the development of desktop applications on Windows. Therefore,
A development that has fragmented a lot over the evolution of Windows. Consequently, CAP changes first operated by Windows 8, then by Windows 10 and to a lesser extent by Windows 11. For example, Win32, WPF, Windows Forms, UWP, .NET MAUI … For example, So many different technological batteries – with its own APIs. Nevertheless. Nevertheless, deployment and limitations – to which are added Plus universal frameworks also pushed and widely used internally at Microsoft as React. In addition,
This diversity. Moreover. Consequently, although historical, ended up creating unnecessary complexity for developers, who were to juggle between incompatible or obsolete frameworks, and make choices often dictated by technical constraints rather than microsoft bascule son « windows app new the product vision.

Erase a disabling historical fragmentation – Microsoft bascule son « windows app – Microsoft bascule son « windows app new

Windows 10 had tried to. Meanwhile, hide this diversity by introducing microsoft bascule son « windows app the UWP (Universal Windows Platform) framework. Therefore, But he imposed such constraints on the developers he had ended up adding more complexity.

In 2021. Therefore. Microsoft therefore undertook a strategic unification with the Windows App SDK to meet a double imperative: simplify the experience of developers and guarantee functional consistency on all modern Windows versions. However, Adopting a more flexible. In addition. pragmatic approach, the Windows App SDK allows you to create modern Windows applications while retaining compatibility with existing technologies like Win32, .NET and Winforms. Meanwhile, By decoupling the APIs of the operating system. distributing them via Nuget. the company allows developers to benefit from the latest innovations without delay an OS update, a fundamental microsoft bascule son « windows app new change in Microsoft’s development philosophy.

But beyond technical simplification. this unification also responds to a broader ambition: reposition Windows as a modern development platform. capable of competing with web or mobile environments. By consolidating microsoft bascule son « windows app tools. betting on frameworks like Winui 3. Microsoft sought to restore attractiveness to native development on Windows, by making it more accessible, more efficient and better integrated into contemporary uses, especially those related to AI and productivity.

An unifying SDK that struggles to win

Despite its ambitions. the Windows App SDK is struggling to establish itself as standard in the developer community. And this for multiple reasons. Many developers remain attached to established frameworks. such as WPF or Winforms, hesitating to invest in a new technology whose sustainability is not yet completely demonstrated. Because updates to the Windows Apps SDK have been sporadic. the times often not respected, and microsoft bascule son « windows app new the lack of transparency has fueled increasing frustration. Many developers have expressed their dismay at the absence of Microsoft responses concerning bugs and expected developments. This apparent disengagement has slowed down the adoption of SDK. especially since certain key microsoft bascule son « windows app features. such as the integration of local AI capabilities via Windows Copilot Runtime or Windows Ai Foundry, have remained confined to experimental versions that are difficult to exploit in production. The sometimes incomplete documentation. persistent bugs in certain versions, and the learning curve associated with Winui 3 constitute as many brakes with massive adoption.

Companies. in particular. show a certain reluctance in migrating their existing applications to this new platform, preferring to wait until the ecosystem matures more and above all preferring to adopt more “cross platform” approaches with in particular the adoption of React (and react native) which is also massively used by Microsoft in microsoft bascule son « windows app new applications like Teams or the Xbox application. Admittedly, the two technologies are not directly competing, React native under Windows also based on the Windows App SDK. React Native is rather a bridge. but it is universal and. by masking Windows App SDK, allows developers microsoft bascule son « windows app not to worry about the latter.

Relaunch adoption by relying on open source

Faced with these challenges. Microsoft has just announced decisive measures to accelerate adoption and improve the confidence of developers, especially in business. The most significant announcement concerns the transition from the Windows App SDK to an open source model with The creation of a GitHub restitory dedicated. This decision marks a turning point in Microsoft’s strategy. demonstrating a commitment to transparency and community collaboration which was sorely lacking in its SDK so far. By opening the source code. Microsoft allows developers to understand the microsoft bascule son « windows app new internal functioning of the SDK. to contribute to improvements, and above all to actively participate in its evolution.

This opening, far from being instantaneous, is accompanied by a clearer roadmap and a development process that aims (finally?) More inclusive. Developers can now subject “outcome”, propose corrections, and directly microsoft bascule son « windows app influence development priorities. Microsoft also counts on this collaborative approach to accelerate the resolution of bugs. the addition of features requested by the community. A collaborative dashboard has been set up on Github to allow external developers to actively participate in the definition. of priorities. the evolution of the SDK while waiting to be able to put the hands directly in the source code. Because the publisher specifies that the full publication of the Windows App SDK in open source is not yet. for immediately. The project in charge of the project must first unravel the whole microsoft bascule son « windows app new to remove the proprietary layers: ” Winui. has deep roots in Windows. Certain parts of the code base affect proprietary layers which cannot be published in open source as it is. We strive to separate what can be shared from what cannot. This work is underway and takes time »Explain Beth Pan, Software microsoft bascule son « windows app Engineer Lead at Microsoft.

The future evolution of the Windows App SDK revolves around several strategic axes. Microsoft plans to continuously improve performance, extend compatibility with different deployment scenarios, and further simplify developer experience. The further integration with modern development tools such as Visual Studio. VS Code, as well as improving documentation and practical examples, are part of the priorities identified.

By kissing open source. Microsoft implicitly recognizes that the future success of its deserted “Windows App SDK” will depend on its ability to create a vibrating ecosystem around this technology. microsoft bascule son « windows app new which the publisher has not managed to do so far. His new strategy which goes through the open source recalls that successfully adopted for .NET Core, who saw his adoption explode after his passage through the universe of “free”. For Windows developers. this development represents a unique opportunity to actively participate in the construction of the future of microsoft bascule son « windows app application development on the Windows platform. while benefiting from the stability and support of a technological giant engaged in this transformation.
More The bet is far from being won. “Scalded cat fears cold water”… The reactions of developers in the face of this advertisement are contrasting to say. the least. a certain skepticism emerging from all messages.
Hopefully. in the end. this allows Windows to find a more dynamic application ecosystem (it is increasingly based on PWA web apps) while facilitating the lives of CIOs and microsoft bascule son « windows app new business development teams.