Apparently, Windows 8 apps will be built in HTML & JavaScript:
they will be are Web based (desktop) apps.
Many Windows developers are now very concerned: "why" change?
While this change (addition) makes sense to me,
it may force a choice for each new app: use Silverlight or html?
Windows 8 will still support "classic" Windows apps.
Microsoft is still "investing" in Silverlight,
but its main "executive supporter", ScottGu, is now focused on Azure...
That is a "pure" web server side, mostly advanced .NET based.
My guess is that Microsoft is addressing each competitive challenge separately:
* ChromeOS is "pure web" experience, so it needs "pure web" answer: Win8
* Flash is web plugin and offline apps platfrom, so is Silverlight
* iPhone is mostly using "native" apps, so WinPhone7 is the same
Microsoft has done this many times before: change, to stay relevant.
It may be hard, and it is still better than losing market...
Web apps get the ultimate endorsement: Windows 8 @ CNET
Previewing ‘Windows 8’
by Julie Larson-Green, corporate vice president, Windows Experience.
No Windows 8 posts on MSDN
Windows 8 apps to be built in HTML & JavaScript
For more info, wait for Microsoft BUILD conference (used to be PDC),
13-16 Sep 2011 @ Anaheim, CA
I have attended PDC 2003 that introduced Windows "Longhorn".
It took 3 years and many changes to finally release as Vista,
and then 2 years for Windows 7 to stabilize transformation from Windows XP.
I hope this time change will be smoother and faster...
C++ is "new" again
More thoughts on what may be on tap for Microsoft's WinC++
(WinC++, the successor to its Visual C++ tool) @ Mary Jo Foley
The Register has a good interview with Microsoft’s chief C++ standards man, Herb Sutter.
“One factor that’s helped C++ is its performance: as a native language, C++ talks to the CPU without going through an interpreter, unlike Java or even Microsoft’s .NET, so it’s generally considered fast – and performance is vital on devices such as tablets and smartphones.
“According to Google, C++ is the fastest runtime language when compared to Java, Scala, and Go, although it does require more extensive tuning and more expertise to achieve such results.”
Are ‘Mosh’ and ‘Jupiter’ Windows 8′s killer features?
I was developing "desktop web apps" since 1999, in C++, Java and C#,
and with recent improvements in HTML and JavaScript,
and a few adjustments in "host interface" this is a very usable platform...
