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Microsoft, why do you care so much that we're running desktop applications on our Surfaces? It's clear that you put a ton of effort into RT 8.1's lockdown.
We're running desktop applications because we like your device. We're giving your device added value. People have been avoiding Surface RT because it can't run most programs they love, and we're trying to alleviate that.
I know that you're reading this forum, and that this will all on deaf ears. But I have to try.
Help over here too. If we get a lot of people to rant. They would have to listen..
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...ommunity/4c6c2e37-fdca-496f-a40a-158062b533da
Making my paragraph lol.
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4 Beta
A lot of people dont understand the finality of Windows RT.
RT is jusy like Android or iOS, a tablet OS not a desktop OS. For x86 applications, use a W8 tablet with x86 architecture.
Personnaly on my PC i use a lot the desktop, on my Surface i only use ModernUI, it's made for, fast and clean.
Caramel said:
A lot of people dont understand the finality of Windows RT.
RT is jusy like Android or iOS, a tablet OS not a desktop OS. For x86 applications, use a W8 tablet with x86 architecture.
Personnaly on my PC i use a lot the desktop, on my Surface i only use ModernUI, it's made for, fast and clean.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
RT is far closer to Windows 8 than to Android or iOS. Android and iOS don't have huge chunks of API and features that are flat out locked out seemingly for product tier purposes.
Comparing RT and iOS/Android is comparing apples and oranges, it just doesn't work.
Possibly even more to the point, Android - notably, the most successful mobile OS on the planet, by a long shot - not only supports arbitrary code and (frequently) rooting, custom OSes, etc, it also supports doing things like chrooting to a (more traditional) Linux environment.
Microsoft has managed to create something that is most of a desktop OS, and yet is arguably *more* locked down than the most popular mobile OS. I do not understand why they would have chosen to do this, or why, after we managed to defeat much of the lockdown, they decided it was worth developer and tester time to re-instate it...
EDIT: Hell, this is an opportunity for Microsoft to achive some positive market differentiation with regard to Apple. Apple is constantly re-locking iOS, breaking jailbreaks as fast as they can. Microsoft is in a great position here to say "while we lock the OS down by default on RT to ensure the best possible security and user experience, we also welcome the tinkerers who are enthusiastic about the Windows platform and desire a deeper level of access." or something similar. Position themselves, and Windows RT, as the OS option that won't turn around and bite its most enthusiastic fans on the ass.
#SurfaceHasNoPurpose
Unlock the Surface!
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xWolf13 said:
#SurfaceHasNoPurpose
Unlock the Surface!
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4 Beta
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
don't you mean unlock windows RT? There are more RT devices than just the surface RT and there are 2 surfaces of which only 1 is locked...
SixSixSevenSeven said:
don't you mean unlock windows RT? There are more RT devices than just the surface RT and there are 2 surfaces of which only 1 is locked...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ehh. Yeah lol
Caramel said:
A lot of people dont understand the finality of Windows RT.
RT is jusy like Android or iOS, a tablet OS not a desktop OS. For x86 applications, use a W8 tablet with x86 architecture.
Personnaly on my PC i use a lot the desktop, on my Surface i only use ModernUI, it's made for, fast and clean.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes.. 100% correct. I wouldn't say MS "locked out" anything from RT.. They just didn't port it. And with good reason.. RT has a targeted set of use cases so it doesnt make much sense for them to port over things that a fraction of the RT audience would use. Full "thick" apps are legacy and I feel like the desktop will be gone once its legacy requirements are for certain apps. Remember, RT isn't just a recompile of windows for ARM.. It was an entire kernel level and up overhaul from win32 that they made to look like traditional win8. Sure, some code/runtime libraries may have been ported over but certain components (e.g. domain support/netlogon) probably have deep ties into the kernel and other parts of the OS that just didn't make sense to support, so greying out a button in the UI was a quick fix.
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libbycm said:
Yes.. 100% correct. I wouldn't say MS "locked out" anything from RT.. They just didn't port it. And with good reason.. RT has a targeted set of use cases so it doesnt make much sense for them to port over things that a fraction of the RT audience would use. Full "thick" apps are legacy and I feel like the desktop will be gone once its legacy requirements are for certain apps. Remember, RT isn't just a recompile of windows for ARM.. It was an entire kernel level and up overhaul from win32 that they made to look like traditional win8. Sure, some code/runtime libraries may have been ported over but certain components (e.g. domain support/netlogon) probably have deep ties into the kernel and other parts of the OS that just didn't make sense to support, so greying out a button in the UI was a quick fix.
Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
RT is essentially a direct port of Windows 8. The only notable thing it doesn't have is full DirectX or OpenGL. It's not an overhaul, it is quite literally just a recompile targeting ARM.
The reason it doesn't have domain support is because it's running at the level of a home basic copy. There are hacks to get the tablet to join a domain, and they've been discussed here (in fact, I believe that mamaich was the one to get them to work originally)
Don't spout a bunch of crap unless you actually know what you're talking about.
Myriachan said:
Microsoft, why do you care so much that we're running desktop applications on our Surfaces? It's clear that you put a ton of effort into RT 8.1's lockdown.
We're running desktop applications because we like your device. We're giving your device added value. People have been avoiding Surface RT because it can't run most programs they love, and we're trying to alleviate that.
I know that you're reading this forum, and that this will all on deaf ears. But I have to try.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When it comes to pure productivity, Desktop is better than Modern-UI, because it's apps are suited for precision input devices. That's why Photoshop works so well on Surface Pro and Office 2013 works well on our Surface RTs- when it comes to work, we use our cover keyboards and toucpads/mice and get the job done. I do think that there should be some more openness about the RT Desktop so that users could install simple Desktop tools to accompany this productive side of Windows 8 - the Desktop, like WinRAR (I don't like being taken to touch friendly UI when I work with files, and I prefer drag & drop while doing so anyway) and, perhaps, something like Photoshop Elements. Of course, Desktop app selection could be limited to what Ms approves via Store, but I just think that Desktop is not a thing to be gotten rid of, like some of you would prefer. I think it is to be embraced as an environment of sit-down productivity, and allowing some baby apps to run on our RTs would only be a good thing.
Desktop computer "sit-down productivity" professionals, on the other hand, should have an option of classic Start menu available, but that's a different topic.
I truly don't understand the obsession with "classic Start menu" - from a productivity standpoint, the 8.1 Start screen is just as good as the Win7 Start menu; you hit the Windows button, type a few letters, and hit Enter (8.0 isn't *quite* as good because results are segregated into "Apps" and "Settings" and it takes a lot of extra keystrokes to move between them). With that said, you'll note that one of the desktop apps for RT 8.0 is the open-source ClassicStartMenu...
Myriachan said:
Microsoft, why do you care so much that we're running desktop applications on our Surfaces? It's clear that you put a ton of effort into RT 8.1's lockdown.
We're running desktop applications because we like your device. We're giving your device added value. People have been avoiding Surface RT because it can't run most programs they love, and we're trying to alleviate that.
I know that you're reading this forum, and that this will all on deaf ears. But I have to try.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't want Microsoft to "leave the RT hacking community alone." I want them to openly support it. I want Microsoft to open up the ARM desktop to third party apps, including unsigned user generated content.
Let's face it: RT has barely made a dent in the market place and what enthusiasm third party hardware manufacturers may have had for the platform is quickly drying up. The Windows Store is a barren wasteland compared to the Apple App market or the Google Play store. Open up the desktop to developers and you'll see a bunch of popular and niche, open source projects ported to the platform. It would add tremendous value to the ARM architecture.
I recently got an RT tablet very cheaply thanks to a hookup who attended a Microsoft conference. It was my first real experience with Windows 8 and I found that it exceeded all my expectations except for two areas: a lack of Metro apps, and the inability to install third party desktop apps.
Having a machine with a fully functional desktop environment but not being able to install additional desktop applications is a bit like being allowed to chew your food but not swallow it.
I do hope someone from Microsoft is listening, and pays heed, because for me, at least, my Surface RT will likely be my last RT device if the desktop remains locked down.
dsf3g said:
I don't want Microsoft to "leave the RT hacking community alone." I want them to openly support it. I want Microsoft to open up the ARM desktop to third party apps, including unsigned user generated content.
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Click to collapse
This would also be an acceptable solution =) They could add a BIOS option to change the Secure Boot policy GUID, with appropriate visible warnings about how the ability to run non-Windows Store applications also potentially opens up your system to malware.
Their current policy is very much, "oh this nice Windows 8 desktop environment... that's just for us, sorry".
If they'd allow desktop applications on the Windows Store, that'd also be nice.
I've been thinking of getting a tablet and I've been eyeing the Windows 8 tablets. Honestly, I like Android, but all of their tablets disappoint (I don't want a Nexus tablet or an iPad for that matter).
I keep hearing that RT marketplace is very small, that there are only "a few apps", etc. Is this true? I am not a heavy app user, plus I'll always have my phone (LG G2 btw, and it's amazing).
I use W8 on my desktop and I like it - but that's obviously the "full" version. I would also like to ask for a tablet recommendation (Nokia 2520 looks FANTASTIC by the way). I don't want to give more than $500 for a tablet, so then generally RT tablets come to mind. My only other requirement is at least a full HD screen. What would you suggest?
Deusdies said:
I've been thinking of getting a tablet and I've been eyeing the Windows 8 tablets. Honestly, I like Android, but all of their tablets disappoint (I don't want a Nexus tablet or an iPad for that matter).
I keep hearing that RT marketplace is very small, that there are only "a few apps", etc. Is this true? I am not a heavy app user, plus I'll always have my phone (LG G2 btw, and it's amazing).
I use W8 on my desktop and I like it - but that's obviously the "full" version. I would also like to ask for a tablet recommendation (Nokia 2520 looks FANTASTIC by the way). I don't want to give more than $500 for a tablet, so then generally RT tablets come to mind. My only other requirement is at least a full HD screen. What would you suggest?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well if its for your criteria of a full Desktop you are right - you can't do this with Windows RT, thus with no RT tablet. But as im using my Surface as a thin client, remoting my home pc or my server for all the stuff i can't do on my tablet it's quite wonderful. And the Windows Store has been incresing ever since, last week i reset me tablet and did some serious store browsing to get up to date with available apps and i probably couldn't find anthing that's not there - development environment and compilers excluded of course. But as far as i can see - not knowing your area of expertise - there is everything you would need to get a basic start, though some apps will cost a dollar/euro or two. Whatsmore, there is the 8.0 jailbreak, if you are willing not to go to 8.1 yet (don't know if the surface 2 gets delivered with 8.1 and you would need to downgrade) - in this case there are already a lot of ported desktop apps available.
Jailbreak and ported apps can be found here:
Jailbreak
Ported Desktop Apps
As for the Nokia 2520, it definitely looks good! Haven't actually seen this one come up, looks promising.
To sum it up: if what you like is the new Modern UI interface you can definitely go with an RT tablet for there are plenty of apps available. For the desktop that's a whole other story, as I've described (jailbreak/ported apps) - if you are willing to compromise, you will get another added benefit from this cool piece of hard- and software.
The decision which RT tablet to use should be yours i guess, there are quite a few out there, but in a matter of usability I deem them all to work the same.
Greetings,
Fasin
The app market you can check out on your full windows 8 machine no problem. I do personally think its a bit limited.
Windows RT is for all intents and purposes windows 8 running on ARM instead of x86 processors. This does bring a few limitations, and then microsoft impose 2 more.
ARM and x86 processors are rather obviously not compatible. x86 programs cannot run on ARM and vice versa normally (you could emulate an ARM CPU on x86 and vice versa but thats slow).
Most "metro" apps are compiled in both ARM and x86 versions. There are a few which are not for whatever reason. But most should be available in both stores. The vast majority of metro apps use C# or VB.net anyway which dont output native ARM or x86 machine code and instead use .NET bytecode (the .NET runtime is present on both windows 8 and windows RT). VLC is the only major exception I can think of right now, although that hasn't been publicly released yet and ARM is planned (right now its x86 only).
Just about all desktop software for windows is x86. It won't run on ARM. If its open source it may be portable however the only compiler capable of targetting Windows RT is MSVC whereas alot of software can only be built in alternative compilers. There is a list (already linked in the post above) of software which people have managed to recompile for Windows RT.
Then 2 microsoft imposed restrictions.
Drivers. Although windows tablets all have full USB host abilities, you do of course require drivers for all USB devices you want to use. Windows are not allowing 3rd party drivers on ARM, so if your USB device isn't listed on their compatibility chart it won't work. Mice, keyboards, USB storage, some printers and even the xbox 360 controller work.
Desktop requiring signed binaries. This is a major restriction which serves no purpose. All software run on windows RT must have a digital signature attached which will be checked before execution. If the signature is missing it won't run it. For store apps this isn't a problem as signing the app is part of the release process. However microsoft don't want us to use the desktop on windows RT devices, they havent released any way to add the signature to software running on the traditional desktop. MS Office, internet explorer and all the other software that runs in desktop mode and is preinstalled on RT has been signed because microsoft wrote it and have the tools to do so. We don't. There is a jailbreak which can remove this restriction and enable people to run desktop applications (either written in .NET or compiled for ARM) but it doesn't work on windows RT 8.1 which the lumia tablet and surface 2 have (they cannot be downgraded to 8.0). An 8.1 jailbreak is coming soon.
Whether the RT is suitable or not depends on your needs. If all your going to do is surf the web, well its full blown internet explorer 11 not some sucky mobile browser, it even has flash (but not java, which you should not confuse for javascript. However iOS and android dont have java either).
You get full RDP support in windows RT. So you can view the screen of and interact with your real windows 8 desktop remotely on the tablet. In the ported apps section for jailbroken devices there is also VNC which does the same thing but is cross platform unlike RDP which is supposed to just be windows (however there is an RDP server for linux too so if you have a linux machine, install the RDP server, remote access it on non jailbroken RT device no problem).
You get microsoft office. Its missing plugins and macros. But otherwise, its a full office suite. Its more than android or iOS have.
Being close enough to normal windows, you get a full file browser which supports network mapped drives and USB etc as you do on your desktop. Android can have file browsers, but they usually arent as good as a desktop file browser. iOS doesnt have a file browser at all.
With the file browser you have support for USB storage. Got some photos on a memory stick, plug it in, you can view them. iOS cannot do this. Some android phones can, some can't (your LG should be able to).
True there are not as many apps as iOS or android. But both iOS and android had low apps counts when they first released and according to what little public data there is, windows after 1 year is about on par with both android and iOS app counts after 1 year. It takes time (but will it take too long is a better question)
Thank you both very much. Very well thought out responses. I was debating between getting the Dell Venue 11 Pro (full Windows 8) or the Nokia 2520 being as that they're the same price, but I have honestly been convinced to get the RT version.
Fasin said:
Whatsmore, there is the 8.0 jailbreak, if you are willing not to go to 8.1 yet (don't know if the surface 2 gets delivered with 8.1 and you would need to downgrade) - in this case there are already a lot of ported desktop apps available.
Jailbreak and ported apps can be found here:
Jailbreak
Ported Desktop Apps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh. My. Gott.
I had no idea that this even existed. I think this is pretty much what settles it - I'm definitely getting an RT. Notepad++? Python? 7-zip? Amazing! Vielen dank!
SixSixSevenSeven said:
Then 2 microsoft imposed restrictions.
Drivers. Although windows tablets all have full USB host abilities, you do of course require drivers for all USB devices you want to use. Windows are not allowing 3rd party drivers on ARM, so if your USB device isn't listed on their compatibility chart it won't work. Mice, keyboards, USB storage, some printers and even the xbox 360 controller work.
Desktop requiring signed binaries. This is a major restriction which serves no purpose. All software run on windows RT must have a digital signature attached which will be checked before execution. If the signature is missing it won't run it. For store apps this isn't a problem as signing the app is part of the release process. However microsoft don't want us to use the desktop on windows RT devices, they havent released any way to add the signature to software running on the traditional desktop. MS Office, internet explorer and all the other software that runs in desktop mode and is preinstalled on RT has been signed because microsoft wrote it and have the tools to do so. We don't. There is a jailbreak which can remove this restriction and enable people to run desktop applications (either written in .NET or compiled for ARM) but it doesn't work on windows RT 8.1 which the lumia tablet and surface 2 have (they cannot be downgraded to 8.0). An 8.1 jailbreak is coming soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're right, that truly is an odd restriction. Perhaps they just want people to use Windows Store more and more? But from this thread it seems that Jailbreak "fixes" a lot of issues - and I didn't even know this existed until now (admittedly I wasn't into the Windows 8 on mobile devices a whole lot until now).
Yep, I think my only pseudo-concern is now gone. Thank you again both, and Nokia 2520 - here I come!
Well, the jailbreak isnt out for 8.1 and is still more limited than the bay trail in the venue 11. But its one of those things that can only go uphill from here.
My personal choice would be the venue. But thats me, not you. I do a fair bit of programming and use alot of software that just plain isnt available on RT. And I think thats the point, different devices suit different people in different ways.
BestBuy will have Surface RT for $200 in Black Friday. I'd like to buy one since it is such cheap and I can play with some ARM Win32 programs.
SixSixSevenSeven said:
Well, the jailbreak isnt out for 8.1 and is still more limited than the bay trail in the venue 11. But its one of those things that can only go uphill from here.
My personal choice would be the venue. But thats me, not you. I do a fair bit of programming and use alot of software that just plain isnt available on RT. And I think thats the point, different devices suit different people in different ways.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do quite a bit of programming myself (both personally and for my work), but I can never picture myself programming on a tablet (or even a tablet/keyboard combo). That's just not what I'm getting the tablet for.
I've just read Engadget's review of Nokia 2520, which is overall positive. But I thought it would be much better than the Surface 2, and apparently (according to their review), it isn't. In fact, I thought it will have a better battery life, while in fact it has worse.
As a student I also get a 10% discount on Surface only, and I have a $25 Microsoft Store gift card that I got eons ago, so that brings the total cost for a Surface 2 down to ~$370, which is phenomenal.
It's still in between Nokia 2520 and Surface 2...
Deusdies said:
I do quite a bit of programming myself (both personally and for my work), but I can never picture myself programming on a tablet (or even a tablet/keyboard combo). That's just not what I'm getting the tablet for.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be honest even a laptop is less than ideal - if you're used to working on a multi-monitor desktop setup then a laptop will feel restrictive.
ThorburnJ said:
To be honest even a laptop is less than ideal - if you're used to working on a multi-monitor desktop setup then a laptop will feel restrictive.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do program on a laptop with a 14" 1366*768 display. I have used much higher resolution displays though and it is certainly alot better.
ThorburnJ said:
To be honest even a laptop is less than ideal - if you're used to working on a multi-monitor desktop setup then a laptop will feel restrictive.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep... I do all of my programming on a desktop. At work 3 monitors, at home 1, but 27". So, yes, tablet is just for movies, some games, etc.
It is possible to emulate some x86 programs on RT's ARM processor, however often it will be slow. Most desired programs won't run through emulation (including utorrent, VLC, Steam, etc)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2095934
Doesn't Microsoft forbid metro apps from having native binaries?
If so, how would you ever write something like a wii emulator on today's hardware? It would be way too slow. Perhaps two decades from now?
Rakeesh_j said:
Doesn't Microsoft forbid metro apps from having native binaries?
If so, how would you ever write something like a wii emulator on today's hardware? It would be way too slow. Perhaps two decades from now?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No...
Many "metro" apps are normal C/C++ compiled natively for the processor itself.
SixSixSevenSeven said:
No...
Many "metro" apps are normal C/C++ compiled natively for the processor itself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh. Then what was with MS's comments that they deliberately wanted to make metro apps limited? They can't just mean in terms of being sandboxed? You can still sandbox without sacrificing utility; Android does that quite well.
Rakeesh_j said:
Oh. Then what was with MS's comments that they deliberately wanted to make metro apps limited? They can't just mean in terms of being sandboxed? You can still sandbox without sacrificing utility; Android does that quite well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
trying to start flamewars again...
SixSixSevenSeven said:
trying to start flamewars again...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, it's very much on topic. If the goal was to start a flame war, then the OP beat me to it a long time ago.
Kindly point out something an android app can do which a windows app cannot (there are some, I personally wanted to use a certain feature but until 8.1 could not, yeah 8.1 added loads more features)
Apps requiring root do not count as root is a device modification much the same way modified RT devices can do more.
SixSixSevenSeven said:
Kindly point out something an android app can do which a windows app cannot (there are some, I personally wanted to use a certain feature but until 8.1 could not, yeah 8.1 added loads more features)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly I don't know as I've never published any apps and I've only done very small scale development for my own uses. I'm just going by MS's commentary on where they think they went wrong with their 8 strategy, in which they indicate that they believe making apps limited in scope wasn't a mistake (effectively they believe that their marketing was the reason for RT's failure, and that it will be easier to market 2 OSes instead of 3.)
I do know however that you see some pretty complex applications on Android whereas I haven't seen anything on RT hasn't already been done better in a web browser. In fact, I've seen web browsers do things that RT will not, take for example that version of battlefield which runs in Firefox and Chrome (RT could technically do that, granted.) The most complicated emulator available for RT is for snes, which also can be done in FF and Chrome: http://www.b81.org/~tjw/smw/
SixSixSevenSeven said:
Apps requiring root do not count as root is a device modification much the same way modified RT devices can do more.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't really see it that way. Just issue an 'oem unlock' command to the device and you're golden. RT devices however by design forbid doing anything like that.
That said, the ultimate limitation in RT comes from this: RT won't run any app unless MS explicitly greenlights it. A lot of the more interesting apps (to me anyways) are ones that companies like MS and in some circumstances even Google wish didn't exist at all, like ad blockers, being able to tether without carrier permission, etc. Even so, not all of these require root and there's nothing stopping you from using them on Android.
Rakeesh_j said:
Honestly I don't know as I've never published any apps and I've only done very small scale development for my own uses. I'm just going by MS's commentary on where they think they went wrong with their 8 strategy, in which they indicate that they believe making apps limited in scope wasn't a mistake (effectively they believe that their marketing was the reason for RT's failure, and that it will be easier to market 2 OSes instead of 3.)
I do know however that you see some pretty complex applications on Android whereas I haven't seen anything on RT hasn't already been done better in a web browser. In fact, I've seen web browsers do things that RT will not, take for example that version of battlefield which runs in Firefox and Chrome (RT could technically do that, granted.) The most complicated emulator available for RT is for snes, which also can be done in FF and Chrome: http://www.b81.org/~tjw/smw/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then if you don't know, then why are you claiming it to be so poor in comparison to android? What apps *are available* doesnt dictate what apps the system is capable of.
In 8.0 the biggest issues were lack of low level interfaces to peripherals and instead being limited to high level wrappers provided by WinRT. In 8.1 there are now WinRT wrapper classes to raw USB and bluetooth, both of which were absent in 8.0. Besides that, there isn't any OpenGL, but there is DirectX which android doesnt have and serves the same purpose.
WIndows 8 apps are perfectly capable of hosting a first person shooter such as battlefield, there is a massive difference between it being incapable and simply not been done (actually there are FPS games, but they are more inline with the crap you see on android).
Your battlefield example is entirely bull**** either way as you seemed to be arguing for android whereas android doesnt have battlefield either.
Even if microsoft ditched windows RT, the store is part of windows 8. It would still be present. Windows RT is just an ARM port of windows 8. WinRT is the so called "sandbox" store apps run in and is present on both operating systems.
SixSixSevenSeven said:
Then if you don't know, then why are you claiming it to be so poor in comparison to android? What apps *are available* doesnt dictate what apps the system is capable of.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Two things:
Comments I've heard from developers
And most importantly, Microsoft's own comments
SixSixSevenSeven said:
In 8.0 the biggest issues were lack of low level interfaces to peripherals and instead being limited to high level wrappers provided by WinRT. In 8.1 there are now WinRT wrapper classes to raw USB and bluetooth, both of which were absent in 8.0. Besides that, there isn't any OpenGL, but there is DirectX which android doesnt have and serves the same purpose.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That later bit is more of a reason to not want RT. Virtually every platform out there uses OpenGL. The number of devices that use directx exclusively make up such a small percentage of the marketplace that it almost may as well not even exist. Android wouldn't gain anything at all by having it (really, no developer out there has ever said "I'd port to Android if only it supported directx,") and it really hurts that RT/WP don't have it. For this reason, any developer who says that they'll only use DirectX is shooting themselves in the foot. Microsoft is doing exactly that - too many games developers said they probably wouldn't ever bother porting anything to RT/WP because they don't want to spend all of the money on porting because the revenue gained is almost guaranteed to not be worth it. Sure, some game engines now support it, but that doesn't solve the problem of backporting their own customizations and additions to the base engine.
SixSixSevenSeven said:
WIndows 8 apps are perfectly capable of hosting a first person shooter such as battlefield, there is a massive difference between it being incapable and simply not been done (actually there are FPS games, but they are more inline with the crap you see on android).
Your battlefield example is entirely bull**** either way as you seemed to be arguing for android whereas android doesnt have battlefield either.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's probably because you missed the point entirely. It has nothing to do with whether or not battlefield is an FPS. The point is that I've seen web browsers do more impressive things than RT apps. Battlefield is merely an example of why even Chrome is more valuable to me than RT.
SixSixSevenSeven said:
Even if microsoft ditched windows RT, the store is part of windows 8. It would still be present. Windows RT is just an ARM port of windows 8. WinRT is the so called "sandbox" store apps run in and is present on both operating systems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You aren't telling me anything new here. Microsoft has done something similar more than once and we've already seen the results: It'll just go derelict and then eventually deprecated but still kept around.
I actually wouldn't be surprised if MS created an app store for win32 apps similar to what apple is doing with OSX. Their current store model is just a flat out knockoff of the ios app model (contrast to the play store model where each publisher is at their own discretion, and some people still wonder why android/play is by far more popular than the rest) so they may as well go all the way with it.
I'm an android developer who wants to develop for windows mobile 8 as well. Can anyone tell me how difficult it is learning the APIs and tools in comparison with android ? I have never done any type of windows development before and I'm not familiar with anything about it.
Is there an official developers phone for windows mobile like the nexus for android?
Thanks.
Hi.
I tried developing for android. Through the first half of the year, maybe ...
I would add that I am a professional programmer but not mobile applications.
Android programming was not easy for me. Mainly because of the many versions of android, the trouble of tools ...
Often I had some strange behavior of the application that turned out to be a problem with the environment. Eclipse was terribly slow, the emulator is often crash ...
I jumped to WP8 - and I am delighted It's much easier for me. Microsoft VS (C #) + XNA ... works as it should.
I'm not a professional in mobile applications - it's just a hobby.
But I'm a professional in programming (ABAP, Delphi, assembler, C #) and I can appreciate a good tool.
I do not know what you used for the android, but this way it should be easier for you
Phone... HTC 8S/8X recommend - if you are not doing any great production.
It's cheap. It works stably. And enforces a resource-saving
See you.
Kajetan
P. S. My first app to WP8 - a little crazy - OrbDefender.
I have recently ported to Windows 8 and Android from iOS (Windows Phone 8 would be very similar Windows 8).
Personally I find the Windows environment to be far superior from a development point of view. The liberal use of bindings means that most of your front end is purely xml, and there is little time consuming and error prone manual linking up of the widgets. Even better than that though is the speed of testing. For a Windows 8 app you can make a code change and deploy it, an you are testing your change 3 or 4 seconds later.
With Android, you make a code change, deploy it, go and make a cup of tea, then when you have finished drinking it, the app is (maybe) ready to test. When you spend a lot of time fiddling around and making things just so, then this can eat up many many frustrating hours.
Then again, windows has a much much smaller user base and users don't seem overly keen on paying. Shame really...
bellissimo75 said:
I have recently ported to Windows 8 and Android from iOS (Windows Phone 8 would be very similar Windows 8).
Personally I find the Windows environment to be far superior from a development point of view. The liberal use of bindings means that most of your front end is purely xml, and there is little time consuming and error prone manual linking up of the widgets. Even better than that though is the speed of testing. For a Windows 8 app you can make a code change and deploy it, an you are testing your change 3 or 4 seconds later.
With Android, you make a code change, deploy it, go and make a cup of tea, then when you have finished drinking it, the app is (maybe) ready to test. When you spend a lot of time fiddling around and making things just so, then this can eat up many many frustrating hours.
Then again, windows has a much much smaller user base and users don't seem overly keen on paying. Shame really...
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Do you still develop for windows phone 8? Is it worth it? I'm not sure about its future.
I found WP development to be easier than Android. You don't have to worry about fragmentation issues - it is kind of like iOS, but with better development tools and a much smaller market share.
Hello.
I was came across a charming little game and I was wondering if anyone would be able to port it to RT?
The game is, of course called Ending. I would have posted this in the RT Development thread but I haven't done enough posts for me to be able to do that so... sorry? Anyway, if anyone can port this then, well, thanks!
The source code, windows version, OSX version and Ubuntu version are all available here:
Oh, hang on, I don't seem to be able to post links either. just search 'robotacid ending' on google and it should be the first result. It'll be a page with the flash game and links to source code and the other stuff I said.
As it is flash there is little we can do for a native port. RT does include flashplayer in internet explorer so if there is a way to run Ending in browser then that should be an option, I'm not a flash dev so I'll let someone with more experience than I report on that one.
I'm a newbie to all of this and I've got to say, I'm pretty annoyed how little we can actually port. Is that due to the RT system or is it just how much Microsoft Visual Studio supports? Also does anyone know how to run flash games on RT if that's what I have to do.
Ruffa-Duffa said:
I'm a newbie to all of this and I've got to say, I'm pretty annoyed how little we can actually port. Is that due to the RT system or is it just how much Microsoft Visual Studio supports? Also does anyone know how to run flash games on RT if that's what I have to do.
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You can't port a flash game to any os without its source anyways, thats not an RT limitation. To run flash just open the link or swf in the desktop version of internet explorer, I believe you need to modify some registry values to open them in the metro one.
I can play it in both desktop and metro IE 11. For a fullscreen experience just go to the URL + game.swf. I'm not sure what you want in a port. If you want me to put a that swf in a webpage and wrap it in a windows app and submit it to the store, I could do that, I have a dev license. If you want it ported to DirectX or JavaScript, sure it's doable, but a bit more work. Might be fun for a beginning project.
drearyworlds said:
I can play it in both desktop and metro IE 11. For a fullscreen experience just go to the URL + game.swf. I'm not sure what you want in a port. If you want me to put a that swf in a webpage and wrap it in a windows app and submit it to the store, I could do that, I have a dev license. If you want it ported to DirectX or JavaScript, sure it's doable, but a bit more work. Might be fun for a beginning project.
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Erm... I'm not really fussy. I actually have this game on my iPod anyway so I don't really need or want it that much on my RT. I just figured it was a neat little game that had the source code available and it looked pretty simple so I assumed it might be able to ported which would hopefully benefit someone. But if you want to take a crack at it feel free.
Ruffa-Duffa said:
I'm a newbie to all of this and I've got to say, I'm pretty annoyed how little we can actually port. Is that due to the RT system or is it just how much Microsoft Visual Studio supports?(...)
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Current porting desktop applications to run natively in Windows RT basically requires the following:
1. It has to be open-source.
2. It has to be compilable in Visual Studio. (No GCC or other fancy compilers)
1 is absolutely mandatory and this requirement will go nowhere (interestingly, this is what most people ignore when they come asking for a port)
2 can possibly be circumvented in the near future if the porting work goes more advanced. The VLC team has been working on a GCC port for Windows RT (ARM) as far as I remember, and you can also run Python & Perl code directly in Windows RT without going through Visual Studio.
While some applications are compilable in VS, they might require other components that might not compile there and bummer. But the main limitations are the two lines above.
How's everyone doing?
I bought a Surface RT during last Black Friday and i have been using it mainly for school. I just found out there was a jailbreak and i guess this whole world of mods. Just wondering what kind of things can a normal computer gamer and medical student gain by jailbreaking? What additional features do you get?
Windows RT cannot run desktop applications normally for 2 reasons.
Firstly it uses an ARM architecture processor commonly used in phones and tablets whereas your normal laptop or desktop uses an x86 architecture processor. The 2 are not compatible, same way my A+ blood is not suitable for a B- recipient (as far as my limited medical knowledge is concerned anyway).
Secondly, unlike windows 8, windows RT features digital signature enforcement. In order to confirm whether a piece of software is legitimate or malware it requires microsoft to add a digital signature to the executable. If the signature is missing or invalid then it won't run it. Apps you download from the windows store will come with this signature so its not a problem there. Unfortunately there is no way to obtain a certificate for desktop applications available to us at this time so only microsoft office, internet explorer and the other built in desktop programs that came preinstalled have the required certificate.
The jailbreak removes the signature checking on windows RT 8.0 only, it does not function on RT 8.1. Black friday is not a thing here so I have no idea when you got the tablet, it could have come with 8.1 rather than 8.0 in which case you can get an 8.0 recovery image and "downgrade" the device again. That solves the second issue and allows us to run software not authorised by microsoft.
The first issue. I don't know how much you know about software development but normally you take a human readable file(s), run it through a compiler and that spits out the executable binary. Of course existing software that you can just hop online and download or pull from a CD will have a binary for x86 processors not ARM. Microsofts C/C++ compiler with support for windows RT is available though so we can at least get binaries which will run on the Surface RT (and other RT devices). Downside, in order for us to port this software to RT it has to have the human readable source code available and that source code needs to work in microsofts compiler, if either of those requirements is not met then there is nothing we can do for a port.
If you are running the 8.0 version of RT rather than RT 8.1 then you can obtain the jailbreak tool from here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2092158
A list of applications which have been ported to RT can be found here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2092348
So what do you gain as a medical student/gamer by jailbreaking? The ability to run the software in the list above, that is it (and if I was to pick up an RT device that would be highly important to me, but thats me, not everyone)
SixSixSevenSeven said:
A list of applications which have been ported to RT can be found here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2092348
So what do you gain as a medical student/gamer by jailbreaking? The ability to run the software in the list above, that is it (and if I was to pick up an RT device that would be highly important to me, but thats me, not everyone)
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I wouldn't consider myself a serious gamer, but the jailbreak gives me three game-related things that I use occasionally. First is Quake. I never actually played through the whole game back in the day, so I'm finally doing that on my Surface, which I think is really cool. Mouse not required so I can pretty much play it wherever (unlike Quake 3, which I've also played on it occasionally). Second is DOSbox, as I occasionally pull out some old games like Duke Nukem when I'm bored. Last is the super Nintendo emulator snes9x. Yes I know there is also a store app version, but it got pulled for while, so I like the knowledge that the desktop version is mine to keep.
Past that there are some very helpful desktop utilities that I use, KeepPass2 (password safe) I use for both personal and work passwords, so to have it on my Surface is awesome, and since there is also a subversion client, I can even check out the work safe directly using my Surface. And of course Putty.
Basically I would not have bought my Surface RT if it weren't for the jailbreak. And I will also not upgrade to 8.1 if a jailbreak isn't available. There are too many things I would rather do on the desktop, even on RT.
domboy said:
I wouldn't consider myself a serious gamer, but the jailbreak gives me three game-related things that I use occasionally. First is Quake. I never actually played through the whole game back in the day, so I'm finally doing that on my Surface, which I think is really cool. Mouse not required so I can pretty much play it wherever (unlike Quake 3, which I've also played on it occasionally). Second is DOSbox, as I occasionally pull out some old games like Duke Nukem when I'm bored. Last is the super Nintendo emulator snes9x. Yes I know there is also a store app version, but it got pulled for while, so I like the knowledge that the desktop version is mine to keep.
Past that there are some very helpful desktop utilities that I use, KeepPass2 (password safe) I use for both personal and work passwords, so to have it on my Surface is awesome, and since there is also a subversion client, I can even check out the work safe directly using my Surface. And of course Putty.
Basically I would not have bought my Surface RT if it weren't for the jailbreak. And I will also not upgrade to 8.1 if a jailbreak isn't available. There are too many things I would rather do on the desktop, even on RT.
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Thank you that sounds amazing. Yea I use it mainly doing work at a clinic, but there is always downtime throughout the day. Playing some Old school quake/snes would be tight. for SNEs are the roms all on there or can you just download everysingle one you want? also do you need a controller?
Redistributing ROMs is generally considered at least technically illegal, and thus against XDA rules. That said, I'm guessing you have them or can find them. No idea if it works with a controller (in general, Windows RT supports controllers, but no guarantee on app compatibility through something like DOSbox or an emulator).
There's one other advantage of Jailbreak that 6677 didn't mention: you can run an x86 emulation layer that (very slowly) allows running (a small number of) normal x86 programs. A few old games, like Heroes of Might and Magic 3, are known to work with it. It won't run anything very new or fancy - for example, even really old versions of Firefox don't work, although their installer will run - but sometimes something that hasn't been tested before is tried, and works out.
Something to consider about DOSBox: a lot of the games on GOG.com are 16-bit games that run in DOSBox. If you extract the DOSBox disk image and configuration and bring them over to the tablet, you can run them using the RT port of DOSBox as well.
egyptionsr2buff said:
Thank you that sounds amazing. Yea I use it mainly doing work at a clinic, but there is always downtime throughout the day. Playing some Old school quake/snes would be tight. for SNEs are the roms all on there or can you just download everysingle one you want? also do you need a controller?
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Everything I mentioned I do with the Surface keyboard, and I've got the type keyboard. The Surface itself can make use of an Xbox360 controller, but I've never tried to configure it in snes9x. A quick search on Google looks like people have used the X360 controller with snes9x on regular Windows, so it may work. I know the store version (snes8x) can use, as I tried it briefly once. I just don't usually have my controller with me, so using the keyboard is much more convenient. The store version has touch controls, but that is really tricky to use when you need precise movement in a game.
ROMs are not bundled with the snes emulator, but that's typical in the emulation world. I don't want to go into too much detail since it's against forum policy, but again, Google it a bit as it's pretty easy to find info on the subject.