Tag Archives: Windows 8

Windows 8 talk

9 Feb

Yesterday I did a Windows 8 talk with Martin Jepsen (red. partner in Bluefragments). During our 3 hour long talk we talked about developing Metro Style Apps, Windows 8 contracts and WinRT. We got lots of good questions from the 85 people who participated which gave a relaxed atmosphere – thank you for that!

Slides from the talk can be downloaded here.

//xamlgeek

Metro Style App questions in Twitter

6 Jan

MSDN got a series of Windows Metro style apps forums to cover questions within different aspects of Windows Metro style apps development. The forums are monitored by Microsoft employees and often they are replying fast to the questions. Stackoverflow got coverage of Windows 8 questions as well.

I have created @metrostyleapps giving you all questions from the MSDN forums and from Stackoverflow in Twitter. The feed is created using twitterfeed.com.

Enjoy!

//xamlgeek

“Badevand” for Windows 8

22 Nov

Badevand (Bathing Water) is a Windows 8 metro app written in XAML and C#. It shows the water temperature, air temperature and rain level for 5 beaches in Copenhagen, Denmark.

You can download the package here.

Update with details view and more beaches will follow soon.

//xamlgeek

Built-in antivirus in Windows 8

22 Nov

According to ZDNet and IT world Microsoft announced that they will build parts of Security Essentials antivirus into Windows 8.

I think Security Essentials is a fine product and use it as protection for all of my Windows 7 computers – this is an active choice I have performed. I understand that many end-users will benefit of free built-in anti-virus protection. Personally I would prefer a pick-and-choose strategy letting the user select their preferred anti-virus provider as part of the Windows installation process.

//xamlgeek

Windows 8 kursus

18 Oct

I Bluefragments kan vi godt lide teknologi – specielt vigtig teknologi der anvendes bredt. Vi har været first-movers på en række innovative produkter som Silverlight, Windows Phone, Windows Azure, hvor vi sammen med vores kunder har lavet nogle af de mest spændende udviklingsprojekter i Danmark. Nu kommer Windows 8 og muligheden for at lave projekter der grundlæggende påvirker den måde brugerne anvender teknologier, skal du med?

Windows 8 er lige om hjørnet, og eksperterne forventer at denne mulighed for touch og mobility kommer til at påvirke brugerne og markedet endnu mere end Windows 7, der har været en af Microsoft største succeser. Derfor er Bluefragments fokus på Windows også et helt naturlig valg som den næste vigtige enhed (webben via PC’en kom først, derefter mobilen og nu det bedste af 2 verdner). Vi har brugt de sidste mange år på at blive blandt de bedste i Danmark til den tekniske platform der ligger til grund for Windows 8, og med vores erfaring med Microsoft platformen giver det os en god mulighed for at danne et godt grundlag for at skabe det ekstra område i vores forretning.

Vi har derfor allerede sat os 100% ind i Windows 8. Med en tur til BUILD konferencen i Californien, hvor Microsoft offentligjorde Windows 8 overfor deltagerne, og viste hvilke muligheder platformen indeholdt, føler vi os godt forberedt. Mulighederne er store og det skaber et nyt potentiale overfor enhver der har en PC applikation i dag. Vi har set på både fordele og ulemper, vi har gennemgået forretningscases og set på en masse mulige apps i mange forskellige scenarier. Det har derfor resulteret i en serie af Windows 8 kurser som vi starter op til december 2011 som har til formål, at vise værdien af det nye spændende operativ system.

I Bluefragments kan vi godt lide teknologi – specielt ny teknologi. Vi har været first-movers på en række innovative produkter som Silverlight, Windows Phone, Windows Azure og nu Windows 8. Windows 8 er lige om hjørnet og det bliver kæmpe stort. Det er Microsofts største satsning siden Windows 95 så derfor er Bluefragments fokus på Windows også et helt naturlig valg. Vi har brugt de sidste mange år på at blive blandt de bedste i Danmark til den tekniske platform der ligger til grund for Windows 8, og med vores erfaring med Microsoft platformen giver det os en god mulighed for at danne et godt grundlag for at skabe det ekstra område i vores forretning.

Vi har derfor allerede sat os 100% ind i Windows 8. Med en tur til BUILD konferencen i Californien, hvor Microsoft offentligjorde Windows 8 overfor deltagerne, og viste hvilke muligheder platformen indeholdt, føler vi os godt forberedt. Mulighederne er store og det skaber et nyt potentiale overfor enhver der har en PC applikation i dag. Vi har set på både fordele og ulemper, vi har gennemgået forretningscases og set på en masse mulige apps i mange forskellige scenarier. Det har derfor resulteret i en serie af Windows 8 kurser som vi starter op til december 2011 som har til formål, at vise værdien af det nye spændende operativ system.

Vi forventer, at der vil være nogle deltagerer, der kommer med en Silverlight/WPF baggrund, men bestemt også nogle der kommer helt uden erfaring i hverken WPF, Silverlight eller XAML. Derfor har vi valgt at dele kurset op, så der er et 1-dags ”Introduktion til XAML udvikling”-kursus og efterfølgende et 2-dags ”Windows 8 app udvikling med C# og XAML”-kursus (hvor man naturligvis får udleveret en tablet med Windows 8 på, så man har noget at blære sig med).

Vi afholder det første ”Introduktion til XAML udvikling”- kursus allerede den 6. december og umiddelbart efter, den 7.-8. december, afholder vi det første ”Windows 8 app udvikling med C# og XAML”. Herefter forventer vi at afholde et kursus hver måned.

Den præcise plan for kurserne kan ses på http://bluefragments.eventbrite.com. Hvis I har spørgsmål eller kommentarer ringer eller skriver I selvfølgelig bare.

Reimagine Windows!

Vi glæder og til at se jer.

//xamlgeek

Windows 8 will be free (I think)

5 Oct

With Windows 8 Microsoft also introduces their Windows Metro App Marketplace also known as the “Windows Store”. According to SlashGear Microsoft intends to charge a 30 percent cut on the Windows 8 apps designed and sold through the store. Most apps will have a huge advantage of being sold through the store and most developers will probably prefer the store as their primary distribution channel. Based on the Apple App Store and the Windows Phone Marketplace the Windows Store will potentially holds thousands of apps, making huge earnings to Microsoft.

Imagine a world where Windows 8 (home edition) is free – paid by the earnings made on the app purchases in the Windows Store. I think it is very likely to happen.

//xamlgeek

Disable spell checker in Windows 8

21 Sep

Since the //build conference in Anaheim I have been running the Windows 8 Technology Preview. All-in-all I’m pleased with what I see. There are a lot of bugs and issues but hey! that is ok from a product that is not even in beta yet.

I have tried to do most of my work on Windows 8 machines to give it a proper test. Most bugs I can accept but one feature (and I actually don’t think it is a bug) is the wide-ranging dictionary. No matter where I work in Windows there is a dictionary following me trying to fix every word I type. Problem is that I makes the system super slow and often correct words into misspelled words or ignore keystrokes. Such a feature would probably be amazing to some and would at minimum require some specification about which level and programs to interfere with.

At the moment there is only one way to disable the spell checker in Windows 8 (as far as I know) – you have to kill the process. Find the process called “Microsoft Spell Checking Facility” and kill it – that is it!

Capture

From then on all of your keystrokes will be caught – yeah!

//xamlgeek

The future of Silverlight

20 Sep

This is the third post in a series following up on the //build conference.

I would lie if I didn’t say that Silverlight got a really special place in my heart. Since the very first introduction of Silverlight I have been able to see the idea behind Silverlight and the possibilities that Silverlight provides.

At //build a new API called Windows Runtime (WinRT) was announced. Based on this API it is possible for applications designed to run as Windows 8 Metro Style applications to communicate with the Windows Core Services in an easy manner. At the moment Windows 8 will be separated into the new Metro UI enabled a fast and fluid UI to touch based devices and into the normal desktop as we have it in Windows 7. The new Metro UI is a new and appealing way of running applications in Windows – however it is designed to tablets and touch and very much to consumers. From a business perspective it will take some time before the Metro UI will have its place – but it will come as more and more tablets and other touch based devices are being part of business.

The new Metro UI is a scaled down version of the full Windows experience – it got some limitations probably introduced to insure full fast and fluid experience. One of the limitations is the browser. As it is the case on the IPad it is a scaled down version and it does not support plugins. No plugins!? Yes, it makes it impossible to run Silverlight, Flash or Java-based applets (like NemID). At the same time it is not possible to run Silverlight applications out-of-browser or native (like on the Windows Phone) in the new Metro UI. In stead a new language based on XAML and C# was introduced to create Metro style applications.

GOSH! Is Silverlight dead then? No, Silverlight and WPF are still the preferred way to created business applications running on Windows. Both Silverlight and WPF applications can run on the classic desktop in Windows 8, but no doubt that the Metro UI is coming and it is going to be huge – I personally hope to see it released in the first half of 2012. However Microsoft haven’t released any news about a business strategy and it will probably take some years before we see Windows 8 in any of the large corporations. That is why I without a doubt say that Silverlight and WPF are still the preferred way to created business applications running on Windows.

If you feel that all of your Silverlight skills are wasted now then don’t worry. I got some REALLY GOOD NEWS! If you are a Silverlight or WPF developer you can reuse ALL of your skills. The XAML and C# based language used to create the Metro style applications are only slightly different from the language we use when creating Silverlight or WPF applications. I will write lots of posts in the future about the new language but until then: Sharpen your skills in Silverlight today and be ready for the applications of the future. I fucking can’t wait to create some amazing applications to the Metro UI :)

//xamlgeek

N.B. If you live of creating minor applications to consumers you should probably begin to take a seriously look at the new Metro UI – better today then tomorrow!

Windows 8 keyboard shortcuts

17 Sep

Here are a few keyboard (and mouse) shortcuts for Windows 8 when in Metro mode:

Application Search Win+Q 
Settings Search Win+W
Files Search Win+F
Settings Charm Win+I
Rotation Lock Win+O
Time/date and start menu Win+C

Of course you can still use the old keyboard shortcuts such as Win+D or Win+R or Win+L.

If you’re using a mouse you can activate the charms/options by putting the mouse at the bottom left edge. Mouse mode also lets you active in-app options by right clicking.

You can use the keyboard’s arrow keys and page down/up to pick tiles. Use Enter to launch them. The menu button will let you select them.

//xamlgeek

Dual boot with Windows 7 and Windows 8 (VHD)

16 Sep

This is the second post in a series following up on the //build conference.

All attendees got a Windows 8 based tablet after the first day keynote. The tablet is running a technology preview of Windows 8 and got some developer related applications like Visual Studio 11 Express (preview) preinstalled. The tablet is a Samsung 7-series with some really cool hardware specs including a docking station and a slick keyboard from Samsung as well. PC world have written a review here.

I got a few extra applications installed pretty fast – Visual Studio 11 Ultimate was among the first. So the tablet is really cool and can easily be used for development. However that was not enough for me. I had to install Windows 8 on my primary laptop (Lenovo T410s) to get the full development experience. After hearing and seeing some failures doing this, I took some pretty slow steps to make sure everything would work alright.

I followed this guide from Mister Godcat and it works great! I did not have any issues during the installation process at all. I got the same dialog asking me to enter license key but just skipped it. As soon as it got online it automatically activated using a predefined key.

I have already tried to slide on the start menu using my fingers. Only problem is that my Lenovo is not a touchscreen which makes me feel a little bit stupid :)

//xamlgeek

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