Windows 10: Microsoft takes another step to bridge Win32-UWP divide on Windows 10

WinLatest · Mar 29, 2021

As you may be aware, Project Reunion is Microsoft’s latest project to make app development easier for Windows 10. Project Reunion is being developed to bridge the gap between two important app platforms (APIs) for Windows 10 – Win32 (desktop) and UWP (modern Store apps).

In essence, Project Reunion will allow developers to access both Win32 and UWP APIs when developing their apps for Windows 10. It also means that Windows 10 will no longer prevent Win32 developers from taking advantage of Microsoft’s newest API developments.

Today, Project Reunion has hit the first big milestone and version 0.5 is now available for developers. Version 0.5 of the project enables access to the latest technologies, such as WinUI 3 (which includes shiny new rounded corners) and improved text rendering.

While rounded corners for Start Menu and other system elements will require Windows 10 Sun Valley Update, Microsoft’s current goal is to make Project Reunion-based apps work on all supported versions of Windows, including version 1809 (the October 2018 Update), April 2019 Update and newer.

Project Reunion will improve the app experience on Windows 10

As explained by Microsoft during the Ignore 2021 conference, Project Reunion isn’t a new app model, new platform, and nor is it a different set of APIs. As the name “Reunion” implies, this project is all about bringing Win32 and UWP closer so that the divide doesn’t exist.

Over the past few years, Microsoft has ignored Win32 development and focused more on the UWP platform.

Project Reunion will undo past mistakes and make it easier for Win32 developers to use the UWP APIs that they want. It will also make the APIs behave the same across both platforms.

“We’re taking the APIs that shipped in UWP and making them available to Win32,” Microsoft said.

Project Reunion 1.0 is currently scheduled for Q4 and Microsoft is also introducing support for WinUI 3 and WebView 2 to integrate modern UI and web contents into Windows apps

It’s also worth noting that the Alarms & Clock app was recently updated with WinUI 3-like design and we’re also expecting improvements for other first-party apps in the coming months.

The post Microsoft takes another step to bridge Win32-UWP divide on Windows 10 appeared first on Windows Latest

Weiterlesen...

Brink · Mar 29, 2021

Microsoft wants to close the UWP and Win32 divide with Windows Apps

Is Microsoft's UWP going away? Is the Microsoft Store on its way out? Microsoft Corporate VP Kevin Gallo explains the latest twists in Microsoft's long and winding Windows developer platform strategy.

For months, many pundits, partners and customers have wondered aloud whether Microsoft's Universal Windows Platform (UWP) has a future. Officially, the story is UWP is alive and well. But the Win32 platform lives on and seems to be back on Microsoft's radar screen. So what's the real story?

I had a chance this week in Seattle to ask Kevin Gallo, Corporate Vice President of the Windows Developer Platform, for his take on what's going on with the Windows developer platform.

When Microsoft launched UWP in 2015, officials promised that the platform would provide apps with better performance and security because they'd be distributable and updatable from the Microsoft Store. Developers would be able to use a common set of programming interfaces across Windows 10, Windows Phone, HoloLens and more, officials said, when selling the UWP vision. The downside: UWP apps would work on Windows 10-based devices only. Developers would have to do work to get their apps to be UWP/Store-ready. And Win32 apps wouldn't get UWP features like touch and inking.

Arguably, Gallo told me, "we shouldn't have gone that way," meaning creating this schism. But Microsoft execs -- including Gallo -- continue to maintain that UWP is not dead.

Over the past year or so, Microsoft has been trying to undo some of the effects of what Gallo called the "massive divide" between Win32 and UWP by adding "modern desktop" elements to Win32 apps.

"By the time we are done, everything will just be called 'Windows apps,'" Gallo told me. "We're not quite there yet." But the ultimate idea is to make "every platform feature available to every developer."
Click to expand...

Read more:

Microsoft wants to close the UWP, Win32 divide with 'Windows Apps' | ZDNet

Microsoft Confirms UWP is Not the Future of Windows Apps - Thurrott.com

Brink · Mar 29, 2021

Microsoft wants to close the UWP and Win32 divide with Windows Apps

Is Microsoft's UWP going away? Is the Microsoft Store on its way out? Microsoft Corporate VP Kevin Gallo explains the latest twists in Microsoft's long and winding Windows developer platform strategy.

For months, many pundits, partners and customers have wondered aloud whether Microsoft's Universal Windows Platform (UWP) has a future. Officially, the story is UWP is alive and well. But the Win32 platform lives on and seems to be back on Microsoft's radar screen. So what's the real story?

I had a chance this week in Seattle to ask Kevin Gallo, Corporate Vice President of the Windows Developer Platform, for his take on what's going on with the Windows developer platform.

When Microsoft launched UWP in 2015, officials promised that the platform would provide apps with better performance and security because they'd be distributable and updatable from the Microsoft Store. Developers would be able to use a common set of programming interfaces across Windows 10, Windows Phone, HoloLens and more, officials said, when selling the UWP vision. The downside: UWP apps would work on Windows 10-based devices only. Developers would have to do work to get their apps to be UWP/Store-ready. And Win32 apps wouldn't get UWP features like touch and inking.

Arguably, Gallo told me, "we shouldn't have gone that way," meaning creating this schism. But Microsoft execs -- including Gallo -- continue to maintain that UWP is not dead.

Over the past year or so, Microsoft has been trying to undo some of the effects of what Gallo called the "massive divide" between Win32 and UWP by adding "modern desktop" elements to Win32 apps.

"By the time we are done, everything will just be called 'Windows apps,'" Gallo told me. "We're not quite there yet." But the ultimate idea is to make "every platform feature available to every developer."
Click to expand...

Read more:

Microsoft wants to close the UWP, Win32 divide with 'Windows Apps' | ZDNet

Microsoft Confirms UWP is Not the Future of Windows Apps - Thurrott.com

FordGT90Concept · Mar 29, 2021

Microsoft Adds Ability to Block Win32 Apps from Install on Windows 10

I wouldn´t be surprised if some manufacturers start shipping their PCs/laptops with Win 10 Cloud only.
Click to expand...

That's actually a certainty already. Microsoft wants to create a competing product against Chromebook. I'm sure this is one of the features that bring them closer to that.

For which API, UWP or Win32? Care to elaborate?
Click to expand...

UWP is "significantly slower" than Win32. Probably 10-30%. UWP is completely managed (memory pointers are forbidden) like .NET Framework is. They're very closely linked. UWP can be made to run on any processor architecture (ARM, x86, and AMD64 right now). I believe UWP has a path for emulating Win32 too (they demonstrated this in a Windows Phone 10 feature).

Windows 10: Microsoft takes another step to bridge Win32-UWP divide on Windows 10

Microsoft takes another step to bridge Win32-UWP divide on Windows 10

Microsoft takes another step to bridge Win32-UWP divide on Windows 10

Microsoft takes another step to bridge Win32-UWP divide on Windows 10

Microsoft takes another step to bridge Win32-UWP divide on Windows 10 - Similar Threads - Microsoft takes another

Win32 Bridge Server Privilege Issue

Win32 Bridge Server Privilege Issue

Win32 Bridge Server Privilege Issue

Microsoft wants to unify UWP and Win32 with Project Reunion

Microsoft is unifying Win32 and Windows 10 UWP development

Microsoft filling in divide between Win32 apps and new Windows APIs

Microsoft wants to close the UWP and Win32 divide with Windows Apps

WiFi Direct Windows10 UWP Win32

Initial preview of Silverlight bridge to UWP