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Android Apps on Windows 11

blogs.windows.com

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Re: Android Apps on Windows 11

#81

Post by iamstupidsimple »

jrm4 wrote: post #77
babypuncher wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think this is really unlikely. PC gaming is an increasingly important market for Windows in the consumer space. As more casual users abandon conventional PCs for increasingly capable tablets and smartphones, PC gaming is only becoming and even bigger piece of the pie. The day Microsoft announces that the next version of Windows will be wholly incompatible with player's existing libraries is the day Windows ceases t…

Ugh, this just came to me and I hate to put this deviltry in the air: But right now, kinda feels like Microsoft buys Steam or dies. (Maybe not dies, but "becomes IBM.")

Valve is a private company, I highly doubt Gabe Newell will ever sell.

Re: Android Apps on Windows 11

#82

Post by AnIdiotOnTheNet »

drcode wrote: post #32
criddell wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So you're saying it's only a matter of time before Windows, which is 35 years old, might become a walled garden?

It is a walled garden since its inception. There is no package manager for building an open package ecosystem, as exists on other OSes.

Which is precisely what makes it not a walled garden: you can just, you know, put whatever software you want on it. That's the expected way to acquire software on Windows.

Re: Android Apps on Windows 11

#84

Post by fleaaaa »

sylens wrote: post #54
fleaaaa wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Probably something being in conflict with WSA in dev channel is the problem atm. This is first time something is released on beta channel first afaik.

If this is the case, some communication about it would probably go a long way

I'm pretty sure this isn't a sole issue in MS..

Re: Android Apps on Windows 11

#85

Post by AnIdiotOnTheNet »

encryptluks2 wrote: post #68
TinkersW wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd say the OS, rather than a language, having a package manager is more of a walled garden..

No it isn't. You can still install and even build packages using the manifest separately. It is just convenience, but doesn't prevent you from installing them yourself.

Prevent, no. However making your promoted paradigm of software installation rely on repos and package maintainers has lead to practices that make it unlikely that you will find any given piece of software in a form you can just drop onto your system and have it run. If you're really lucky there's a static version or an AppImage, if you're unlucky you're pulling down a docker container of someone's build environment and compiling it yourself, if you're really unlucky you have to do without the docker container.

Re: Android Apps on Windows 11

#86

Post by jimmygrapes »

babypuncher wrote: post #53
ajvs wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unfortunately another of their strength lies in the 3rd part: "extinguish". It's only a matter of time before their recent software of WSL, GitHub and Android on Windows becomes yet another walled garden.

I really don't see how their Android app support or WSL could realistically go from extend to extinguish. I don't think Microsoft's MO is to completely dominate your entire stack anymore. They just want to make sure they form some critical piece of it so you can't get rid of them.

The most effective virus is not that which kills its host, but makes the host dependent upon the virus

Re: Android Apps on Windows 11

#87

Post by AnIdiotOnTheNet »

babypuncher wrote: post #53
ajvs wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unfortunately another of their strength lies in the 3rd part: "extinguish". It's only a matter of time before their recent software of WSL, GitHub and Android on Windows becomes yet another walled garden.

I really don't see how their Android app support or WSL could realistically go from extend to extinguish. I don't think Microsoft's MO is to completely dominate your entire stack anymore. They just want to make sure they form some critical piece of it so you can't get rid of them.

If Microsoft extends their Android implementation to provide new features before Android itself does, and these features become popular, then all Microsoft would have to do is start putting out their own "Android" phones to begin eating the market.

WSL, I'll admit, will be trickier to convert. However, they have decades of experience at this so don't put it past them to figure it out.

Re: Android Apps on Windows 11

#88

Post by FractalParadigm »

jrm4 wrote: post #77
babypuncher wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think this is really unlikely. PC gaming is an increasingly important market for Windows in the consumer space. As more casual users abandon conventional PCs for increasingly capable tablets and smartphones, PC gaming is only becoming and even bigger piece of the pie. The day Microsoft announces that the next version of Windows will be wholly incompatible with player's existing libraries is the day Windows ceases t…

Ugh, this just came to me and I hate to put this deviltry in the air: But right now, kinda feels like Microsoft buys Steam or dies. (Maybe not dies, but "becomes IBM.")

How? They've recently bought a ton of gaming IPs, including Bethesda and id, to add to their existing sizable portfolio including some big names like Halo, Forza, Flight Sim, Minecraft, Gears. They seem to have a pretty solid agreement with EA to offer their EA Play service as a part of GamePass Ultimate, allowing access to a sizeable portion of that library for no additional cost to PC and console gamers. They're starting to push hard into Xbox-as-a-service and focusing efforts equally between PC and console, adding the xCloud "Game Everywhere On Everything!" hook.

People seem to forget that Microsoft is the second most valuable tech company in the world behind Apple. Unless some incredible monstrous change or disaster happens to/within the company, they're not going anywhere for a long time.

Re: Android Apps on Windows 11

#90

Post by kingcharles »

unicornporn wrote: post #27
symlinkk wrote: post #26

What do people use features like this for?

Was just about to ask the same question. I can't come up with a single Android app I'd like to run on desktop. Is it just an app development thing?

There's a growing number of mobile apps that don't expose all their features through their web apps, e.g. Cash, Venmo, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat etc.

It's a total pain for me to have to always open my phone and use the tiny keyboard to carry out some trivial task.

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