Microsoft kicked off its Build developer conference in San Francisco with a focus on Windows 10, bots, and developer tools, but there was something missing: Windows Phone. A single demo of Skype running on a Windows Phone was the only time a phone running Windows 10 Mobile appeared for longer than a few seconds, and it felt like Microsoft was more focused on Windows 10 for Xbox and HoloLens. I got the chance to speak to Windows chief Terry Myerson briefly after today’s keynote, and it’s clear Microsoft focus isn’t on phones this year.
“We’re fully committed to that 4-inch screen, there will be a time for it to be our focus, but right now it’s part of the family but it’s not the core of where I hope to generate developer interest over the next year,” explains Myerson. “There’s no lack of recognition to realize how important that form factor is, but for Microsoft with Windows and for our platform it’s the wrong place for us to lead.”
So, like any other year then.
1) Nokia
2) Xamarin
…
3) Canonical?
In other words, given today’s announcement, could “Unity” and “Convergence” (at Canonical) end up meaning more than just our current Linux-centric understanding of it – in an attempt by MS to resurrect Windows phone?
Combining the Ubuntu and MS ecosystem, leveraging Unity 8+’s Desktop mode for Win32 applications and x86 smartphone hardware?
Edited 2016-03-30 22:13 UTC
I was just thinking something similar.
It may be fantasy joining of the dots, but perhaps MS and Canonical could join forces and bring into the world some beautiful bastard child of linux(ubuntu not android) and windows(phone).
Would it require a dual kernel approach (or rather a subordinate for processes requiring it) but translating syscalls for much as possible for performance.
would be amusing, not to say intriguing if the current rise and rise of Android and iOS forced the melding of windows and non-Android linux. Promoted on the phone first, but dare we speculate also then the desktop?
I can’t quite see it. But I almost can
Two things from build influence Windows phone a great deal imo. Microsoft introduced the Desktop App Converter for bringing Win32 apps to the Windows Store. The other one is Microsoft is unifying PC and Xbox One platforms meaning many app developers would be attracted into developing universal windows apps for Xbox.
And as universal windows apps runs on Windows phone we would likely see an improvement in the appgap and even Windows phone trumping other platforms in terms of the sophistication and depth of the applications.
I’m thinking the same thing. My take is that MS is positioning the Xbox One to be the desktop form-factor that rounds out their Surface family of hardware, turning it more into a general-purpose computing device. That way, they can be more like Apple in ensuring a cohesive and relatively trouble-free computing experience since they have much more control over the components and therefore the device drivers. Much less holding of the nose and having to approve drivers for shoddy devices.
That’s the message I’m getting from their recent announcements.
Windows 10 on X-Box and Hololens the main focus for developers?
The Hololens is not going to be userd 8 hours a day by millions and millions of people in businesses all over the world
The same goes got X-Box.
Will businesses say, ‘Well thats interesting, Not!’.
They won the desktop because they made it easy for business to get computers one desktops.
Are they in danger of taking that for granted?
I wonder if Apple are rubbing their hands with glee?
As for Ubuntu on W10. Does this not make it all the easier for someone to say, ‘Hey, I line this Linux stuff. Why don’t I move to it 100%?’
Or will MS embrace Canonical and buy them out?
Interesting times and personally, I think MS has lost the plot.
I don’t think so. More people will say: ‘hey, I can finally get both windows AND linux stuff at once, good bye dual boot’.
The odd thing is that at one hand Microsoft is doing some rather interesting changes that makes Windows much more attractive (like finally improving the console). Stuff like this I personally really like.
Meanwhile the other hand is trying to tell me to rewrite/port my applications to this Universal Windows App ecosystem that is as locked down as phones and tablets. This, on the other hand, I do not want at any price. Add to this their clearly disrespectful ideas about who owns my computer and has the final say on what it should do (i.e. whether telemetry should be on or off).
Let’s keep in mind that Microsoft keeps track of the usage patterns of Windows’ users. I don’t want them to know how often I use Ubuntu. I just don’t trust them to not come up with a scheme to extinguish Ubuntu now that they’ve embraced and extended it to run on Windows 10.
Well, from what I understand, they didn’t extend ubuntu, they extended windows to run elfs and use linux system calls. So, its with a dose of optimism that I humbly wait for them to apply the next step to windows as well
Virtualization and Cygwin + Xming have long made dual-booting mostly unnecessary, except for perhaps 3D graphics/engine and game development but now even traditional virtualization software like VMware can support OpenGL 3.3 and DirectX 10 level hardware accelerated graphics with the virtual GPU driver.
For instance, DirectX 10 GTA 5 in VMware:
http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/691656007245710122/5F…
On the Linux side host, GPU passthrough makes Windows guests support upto DirectX 12 on VT-d and AMD-Vi compatible hardware.
While it’s cool that the Windows kernel now has a personality to translate Linux system calls, I do question how complete it is and if all apps can run going forward. FreeBSD also has a “Linux emulator” but (last I checked) it cannot run all Linux applications (such as Linux Steam) due to it only supporting calls upto the 2.6.xx level and the fast moving target of the Linux ABI make it difficult for them to keep up. I wonder if the Windows personality only implements enough system calls to support popular CLI/terminal apps.
Edited 2016-03-31 14:46 UTC
So it really depends on where Microsoft continues with the Linux Sub-System they are putting in. It started off as a way to get Android Apps over onto Windows. Now it’s becoming more.
What will be interesting is if they do it what they did with their POSIX Sub-System where they ran it for a while to get applications onto Windows NT, and then let it languish and ultimately become inferior so as to push people into developing for their locked-in Win32 sub-system – ensuring that the Win32 sub-system had a lot higher performance than their POSIX sub-system, thus giving the impression that Win32 was better than POSIX, and driving a lot of Windows NT sales. Effectively EEE all the way to the bank.
While I wouldn’t put it past them to try to do that with their Linux Sub-System I think they’d find it’s a lot harder to do. For starters, it worked with POSIX because any other POSIX implementation was extremely expensive, where here Windows is the expensive player trying to combat a cheaper alternative. Second, many Linux users use Linux not simply because they like the tools but *because* it is *not* Windows.
Of course, they’re doing this to try to win back Developers, and it may keep some that are on the edge right now. But they lost the developer a long time ago, and until they start making really friendly policies for developers (Universal Windows Apps, Windows Store, etc are not among them) then that will continue to be the case. They lost the war, not just the battle; now they’re fighting to stay relevant.
A computer on every desk running Windows…and a desk drawer full of Windows Phones.
2007 they were really going for windows phone
2003 I think that was a big year for them too.
But most years, they don’t really invest or plan for the future.
We understand that windows phone is abandoned. You promised android compatibility on windows 10, keep your promise and at least give us Android ROMs for every current Lumia.
Microsoft is really, seriously working toward regaining developers’ confidence.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/04/01/microsoft_lures_oracles_lin…