Windows Runtime - The New API

[spacefractal]

Vista failed, Windows 7 claimed, but Windows 8 might fail due those many chagnes that might been confuce the use and they might have taking too many comprimese which can been quite bad in the end.

Howover Intel Apps should of course run nice on Windows 8 on Intel Machines, but on Arm its require new apps of course and a new platform to been supported (its c++ based, so its should been possible). For that we use in glbasic, there is as I see no need to doing directly Windows 8 compatible as long its run fine with compatible mode on Intel Machines.

[erico]

.. For that we use in glbasic, there is as I see no need to doing directly Windows 8 compatible as long its run fine with compatible mode on Intel Machines.

The possible marketplace is the only reason I can think, but I actually have no idea if it exists nowadays or is something for the close future. At what stage it is or will be interesting work worth to have it. Any ideas on this?

[bigtunacan]

Just to clear up a couple of things.

Backwards compatibility will NOT EXIST for ALL Windows 8 devices.  The new Windows 8 will have a "Home Edition" for consumers that will run on cheaper ARM architecture devices.  This will ONLY support the new windows runtime API, and this is the device most consumers will be using so currently GLBasic will NOT WORK on these devices.

There will be a "Premium Edition" that will continue to run on Intel based processors.  This will be slightly more expensive hardware, but will be able to continue backwards compatibility.  This is what businesses will adopt. 

Most of the predictions for these devices is that they are going to see an accelerated adoption rate; and based on just some personal experience I believe this is true.  I have had numerous people tell me they are holding off from buying the new iPad because they will buy a Windows 8 tablet instead.

When these release it could be like the early days of iPhone.  A few game devs with software out early for these new devices could make a lot of money.  It is extremely unfortunate that there are no plans for GLBasic to support this.  This truly makes me wish I had not paid money for GLBasic.  I find it very discouraging that lots of time has been spent adding in support for hardware with little to no market space such as Palm Pre and Gamepark, but now there is a serious platform coming along and nothing is even planned...

[Ian Price]

It is extremely unfortunate that there are no plans for GLBasic to support this.

How do you know this? GLB apps already support ARM hardware (Pandora, Caanoo). I'd be very surprised if Gernot did not offer the ability to compile GLB apps for Windows 8 hardware. GLBasic itself may be a different story, but I'm not sure I'd want to code on a tablet anyway...

[Kitty Hello]

I definitely will try to support this thing. I hope the new visual studio versions allow me to port the Editor over.
Making games for Win8 might not be too hard at all - I can think of a few solutions here.

[Ian Price]

I never doubted you (or GLB) for a second Gernot

[TI-994A]

Just to clear up a couple of things.

Backwards compatibility will NOT EXIST for ALL Windows 8 devices.  The new Windows 8 will have a "Home Edition" for consumers that will run on cheaper ARM architecture devices.  This will ONLY support the new windows runtime API, and this is the device most consumers will be using so currently GLBasic will NOT WORK on these devices.

There will be a "Premium Edition" that will continue to run on Intel based processors.  This will be slightly more expensive hardware, but will be able to continue backwards compatibility.  This is what businesses will adopt. 

Most of the predictions for these devices is that they are going to see an accelerated adoption rate; and based on just some personal experience I believe this is true.  I have had numerous people tell me they are holding off from buying the new iPad because they will buy a Windows 8 tablet instead.

When these release it could be like the early days of iPhone.  A few game devs with software out early for these new devices could make a lot of money.  It is extremely unfortunate that there are no plans for GLBasic to support this.  This truly makes me wish I had not paid money for GLBasic.  I find it very discouraging that lots of time has been spent adding in support for hardware with little to no market space such as Palm Pre and Gamepark, but now there is a serious platform coming along and nothing is even planned...

To say that most consumers will opt for the WOA Surface, which hardly has a hundred ready apps, over the third generation iPad, with its superior display and more than two hundred thousand ready apps (not counting universal apps), is simply naive. The only advantage Surface has over the iPad would be legacy compatibility with the plethora of existing Windows apps, and that would be with the WOI model. And with WOI, our apps live on.

IMHO, the WOA model does not seem to hold much hope.

[bigtunacan]

@Gernot,

So sorry!  From a previous post of your's I thought you were indicating you currently had no plans to support Windows 8.  Great to hear you are planning this.

@TI-994A,

Microsoft has publicly stated more than 100K apps by year end.  Given that this will do double duty as a tablet and a laptop, so you have both at the price of a tablet, why wouldn't someone choose this over a tablet?  We aren't talking about another entrance to the space by a relative newcomer/underdog such as HP Touchpad who had nothing else aside from the already proven failure the Palm Pre, or another Blackberry Playbook; this is Microsoft, the #1 OS on PCs and laptops for both businesses and consumers.  Windows 8 is going to sell just on that alone.

[TI-994A]

Microsoft has publicly stated more than 100K apps by year end.  Given that this will do double duty as a tablet and a laptop, so you have both at the price of a tablet, why wouldn't someone choose this over a tablet?  We aren't talking about another entrance to the space by a relative newcomer/underdog such as HP Touchpad who had nothing else aside from the already proven failure the Palm Pre, or another Blackberry Playbook; this is Microsoft, the #1 OS on PCs and laptops for both businesses and consumers.  Windows 8 is going to sell just on that alone.

If you're talking about the Intel version of Surface, then yes. But not the ARM version; it will run only Metro apps, which is only available from the new Windows Store, and there're currently only about a hundred apps available. The 100K apps that you're referring to is in the Windows Phone Marketplace, which are not Metro compatible.

Microsoft may be a formidable giant, but they have failed big time in the mobile phone market, losing to the iPhone, and more recently, Android. Now, they're taking another big gamble with this proprietary new platform, which, at the moment, offers absolutely no advantage over their stronger competitors, who have better hardware and a bigger ready-app base.

The question they have failed to ask is, "What can Surface ARM do that other tablets can't?" And the answer is nothing, and in fact, apps-wise, even less. Ask the same question about Surface Intel, and you have a clear winner!