Now you can convert/recompile your win32 / .NET apps as universal, but I am not sure if the universality extends to the CPU architecture (I doubt it, but they made it look like it...).
If you rebuild your win32 software and make a universal app (or basically just recompile it if it's already .NET), it can be designed to run on ARM or x86 and various form factors (with a little UI work). There's actually already a bunch of Universal Apps on the Store now that do this. The framework for that has been in use for a good while. In many cases (it's up to the devs) you can buy a game once and download it on multiple different devices (desktop, tablet, phone).
The big new additions are the ability to (relatively easily) recompile older Win32 .NET code as well as most Android/iOS code.
PCWorld had an article in March about an Atom X3 using an x86 core with a Mali GPU. ASUS is the only major vendor to pick it up though. I hope other major vendors do or even better MS puts out a surface phone and it does to Win Phones what the Surface did for Win Tablets.
Yeah, I'm optimistic now more than ever for an MS Surface Phone running Intel. There is already news about Surface 4 being fanless. So the tech is getting there.
I believe they meant that Win32/.NET apps will be able to "utilize" the APIs and services available to Universal Apps in addition to being listed in the store.
That's up to the developers. It's not like you're using x86 assembly code in a .NET application. There's no reason you can't build a universal app using said existing code and have it up and running on multiple form factors and both x86 and ARM. They would have to do some UI work at a minimum, but it's not like they have to rewrite everything, the bulk of the code they can just recompile.
Nothing to do with Intel. A Universal app on the phone and on the desktop will actually be the exact same app, and all Universal apps are new and are built to run across different architectures. ARM phones and computers still won't have access to win32 binaries.
Because there's no real difference between phone and desktop now, I'm hoping phones that use an Atom core will now be able to install win32 binaries like any other x86 computer. They still wouldn't work well on the small screen, though, until you plug it into a monitor.
This whole concept will fade away over time, as the old software is eventually eclipsed by the newer stuff. I'm having trouble getting Paint Shop Pro 6 to run, these days.
"available this summer" means it will be available before September. I don't know what that 'after' refers to. It's the stuff you cut out of the quote.
If MS can pull this off and make it work, it changes the whole phone/PC paradigm. Potential game changer? Maybe not for Windows in the mobile market. But for the mobile market in the future as a whole? Yeah, think maybe so.
Yeah, maybe not on the consumer end. I think like the Surface Pro and the competition from the other vendors that has grown from it, the same will happen for the WP10 and it will be successful in the business arena.
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Manch - Wednesday, April 29, 2015 - link
This is what i have been hoping for when MS decided to unify everything. I hope these new phones will be running x86 hardware too.kpkp - Wednesday, April 29, 2015 - link
As soon as I saw that on the keynote I thought next MS phones will use Intel, but I am not sure they are far yet.This universal apps confuse me a bit, can a dev recompile a win32 / .NET app to run on ARM? There were no asterisks in the keynote :-)
jeffkibuule - Wednesday, April 29, 2015 - link
Phone will only run Universal apps I'm pretty sure.kpkp - Wednesday, April 29, 2015 - link
Now you can convert/recompile your win32 / .NET apps as universal, but I am not sure if the universality extends to the CPU architecture (I doubt it, but they made it look like it...).Alexvrb - Wednesday, April 29, 2015 - link
If you rebuild your win32 software and make a universal app (or basically just recompile it if it's already .NET), it can be designed to run on ARM or x86 and various form factors (with a little UI work). There's actually already a bunch of Universal Apps on the Store now that do this. The framework for that has been in use for a good while. In many cases (it's up to the devs) you can buy a game once and download it on multiple different devices (desktop, tablet, phone).The big new additions are the ability to (relatively easily) recompile older Win32 .NET code as well as most Android/iOS code.
Manch - Wednesday, April 29, 2015 - link
PCWorld had an article in March about an Atom X3 using an x86 core with a Mali GPU. ASUS is the only major vendor to pick it up though. I hope other major vendors do or even better MS puts out a surface phone and it does to Win Phones what the Surface did for Win Tablets.Schnydz - Thursday, April 30, 2015 - link
Yeah, I'm optimistic now more than ever for an MS Surface Phone running Intel. There is already news about Surface 4 being fanless. So the tech is getting there.lilmoe - Wednesday, April 29, 2015 - link
I believe they meant that Win32/.NET apps will be able to "utilize" the APIs and services available to Universal Apps in addition to being listed in the store.It was a bit confusing to me at first too.
Alexvrb - Wednesday, April 29, 2015 - link
That's up to the developers. It's not like you're using x86 assembly code in a .NET application. There's no reason you can't build a universal app using said existing code and have it up and running on multiple form factors and both x86 and ARM. They would have to do some UI work at a minimum, but it's not like they have to rewrite everything, the bulk of the code they can just recompile.mkozakewich - Thursday, April 30, 2015 - link
Nothing to do with Intel. A Universal app on the phone and on the desktop will actually be the exact same app, and all Universal apps are new and are built to run across different architectures. ARM phones and computers still won't have access to win32 binaries.Because there's no real difference between phone and desktop now, I'm hoping phones that use an Atom core will now be able to install win32 binaries like any other x86 computer. They still wouldn't work well on the small screen, though, until you plug it into a monitor.
This whole concept will fade away over time, as the old software is eventually eclipsed by the newer stuff. I'm having trouble getting Paint Shop Pro 6 to run, these days.
Nuno Simões - Wednesday, April 29, 2015 - link
Joe Belfiore said "(...) after it's available this Summer."So, this means it will be released until September at the most? As it been confirmed or even repeated at the keynote?
mkozakewich - Thursday, April 30, 2015 - link
Language."available this summer" means it will be available before September. I don't know what that 'after' refers to. It's the stuff you cut out of the quote.
Schnydz - Thursday, April 30, 2015 - link
"After" refers to the new phone hardware?profoundWHALE - Thursday, April 30, 2015 - link
Windows 10 will be available this summer, so new phone device that are shipping with Windows 10 on them will come out after.Romberry - Wednesday, April 29, 2015 - link
If MS can pull this off and make it work, it changes the whole phone/PC paradigm. Potential game changer? Maybe not for Windows in the mobile market. But for the mobile market in the future as a whole? Yeah, think maybe so.Manch - Wednesday, April 29, 2015 - link
Yeah, maybe not on the consumer end. I think like the Surface Pro and the competition from the other vendors that has grown from it, the same will happen for the WP10 and it will be successful in the business arena.vortmax2 - Thursday, April 30, 2015 - link
Agreed. This is a great feature and will be a game changer if it's implemented well.