A new team at Microsoft plans to release 100 percent native apps for the Windows operating system. Announced by Rudy Huyn on X, the focus of the apps is a meaningful user experience.
Hyun does not mention whether the team will work on making existing apps 100 percent native or if it will work on new apps that may ship with the operating system at one point in time.
The development is a major shift from Microsoft’s recent heavy reliance on web-based wrappers and Progressive Web Apps (PWAs).
Here is why this is important:
- For years, Microsoft has favored web-based apps over native code. These apps are often seen as slow, memory-hungry, and less-optimized than native apps.
- It is another confirmation that Microsoft is trying to steer the wheel around. Apps are fundamental and attempts to make them better could improve the perception of the operating system.
- Focus on quality. Hyun mentions that he is looking for developers with “strong product thinking”, regardless of platform that they have experience on. This could be an indicator that Microsoft might work on polishing the user experience.
While little is know about the project, apart from what Huyn mentioned on X, it could be another puzzle piece of Microsoft’s redemption attempt.
Since the information is scarce, pretty much everything surrounding this new project is unknown, including when we can expect the first releases and whether these will replace existing apps that may not be 100 percent native or be entirely new apps.
Something along the lines of PowerToys? At first, a great idea that is now barely mentioned or used by a significant number users b/c the programs are so niche. Or Nirsoft–great tools not readily accessible or valuable to a “normal” user of Windows.
Don’t know.
Start by throwing the windows store in the dump and deleting it from existence.
Truth be told nobody needs Microsoft version of software that is already freely available online for more times than not for free by more dedicated developers which have a much more solid application.
I don’t know anyone that knowingly favors any of the Microsoft apps over established third party apps.
Maybe Microsoft should ask people at set up if the wish to install all the fluff or no fluff in windows while we are at it.
This admission about their apps suggests to me that they should also look at their OS for the very same reasons.
I should add that native is not reactJS, rust, .NET or any other such garbage.
C++ win32 thanks.
None of this is going to be great anyway if they are not thoroughly testing software in house by real human beings. If they foist this garbage upon consumers as they have been already in similar fashion to windows updates then its dead in the water from the start.
I’d say neither is Python, but a lot of “native” programs are made with it.