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Microsoft Pulling Free Development Tools for Windows 8 Desktop Apps

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Re: Microsoft Pulling Free Development Tools for Windows 8 Desktop Apps

#61
post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Students can get VS and other MS software for free through various programs such as MSDNAA

Some of us (neither students nor fat salary receiving end) are struggling to make ends meet and try their hand at app development as a way out of struggle.

If you're a small, newly founded, company you can get a free copy of Visual Studio Ultimate, together with all the documentation and training material you need, by signing up for BizSpark

Re: Microsoft Pulling Free Development Tools for Windows 8 Desktop Apps

#63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> This doesn't really seem like news to me. I've never met anybody doing real development in the .NET world who didn't have a paid copy of VS.NET. For C/C++ hobbyists and Open Source developers, MSVC used to be the compiler of choice on Windows. The Ruby community has embraced mingw more and more, and I think everyone else will (and should) do the same. Breaks my heart because MSVC has good C++11 support. I don't thi…

Why is your heart breaking? The new version still supports c++, right? Just because it's a hobby doesn't mean you can't pay a little money for things. I have lots of hobbies that are way more expensive than computer programming. One surfboard costs more than you'll pay for a full VS.NET license. Over the 4 years this next version will keep you going, I'll go through thousands of dollars worth of rock shoes. A gamer w…

> Why is your heart breaking?

I used the free MSVC2003 compiler during high school, when $600 was half a year's worth of pocket money, and when mingw didn't even link a basic UNICODE program properly. I eventually saved up enough money to buy the "full" MSVC2003 Standard for ~€130, what later became Express. I never made a single penny off it. I bet many people who got into programming through hobby gamedev lived a similar life.

After making the switch to OS X during university, I often used the (now free) MSVC Express for playing around with Open Source on Windows. Or to compile a copy of my game for Windows friends. Tiny stuff that's not worth three-digit sums. If I can't toy around and be happy on Windows, then I'll forever stay in Apple wonderland.

Both scenarios will be too expensive to imagine now. If anything, people will use mingw instead. And that's what breaks my heart - I really wish people could use the awesome MSVC2011 compiler instead, with all the new C++ features we have been looking forward to for years. MSVC2010 is still good enough, but for how long?

Re: Microsoft Pulling Free Development Tools for Windows 8 Desktop Apps

#64
post #31

Just another step towards a closed, locked down world where every app is vetted, approved and ultimately constrained to not compete with the business interests of the two largest tech companies in the world. I know, people will say, this hardly makes a difference, right? But all the steps hardly make a difference. OSX Mountain Lion defaulting to only allow apps signed with a certificate from Apple? Why, the user can…

I'd hate to say it but this is where we are going and this includes the web as well. The web is becoming less open and freedoms that once existed are disappearing. China, Iran, SOPA, PIPA, etc. are evidence of this.

The future isn't all that dark but it certainly seems like the "wild west" days of computing are coming to an end.

Re: Microsoft Pulling Free Development Tools for Windows 8 Desktop Apps

#65
post #31

Just another step towards a closed, locked down world where every app is vetted, approved and ultimately constrained to not compete with the business interests of the two largest tech companies in the world. I know, people will say, this hardly makes a difference, right? But all the steps hardly make a difference. OSX Mountain Lion defaulting to only allow apps signed with a certificate from Apple? Why, the user can…

The big difference here is Microsoft pulling the software out from under its users and forcing you to buy all new stuff. Apple wants you to use their stuff to help assure compatibility, which is a selling point for them but they're not telling anyone to go out and buy all new stuff.

Re: Microsoft Pulling Free Development Tools for Windows 8 Desktop Apps

#66
post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Students can get VS and other MS software for free through various programs such as MSDNAA

Some of us (neither students nor fat salary receiving end) are struggling to make ends meet and try their hand at app development as a way out of struggle.

According to the article you can continue to try your hand at app development for Windows 8 and Windows Phone 7 using the free "Express" version of Visual Studio.

Re: Microsoft Pulling Free Development Tools for Windows 8 Desktop Apps

#67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is your heart breaking? The new version still supports c++, right? Just because it's a hobby doesn't mean you can't pay a little money for things. I have lots of hobbies that are way more expensive than computer programming. One surfboard costs more than you'll pay for a full VS.NET license. Over the 4 years this next version will keep you going, I'll go through thousands of dollars worth of rock shoes. A gamer w…

> Why is your heart breaking? I used the free MSVC2003 compiler during high school, when $600 was half a year's worth of pocket money, and when mingw didn't even link a basic UNICODE program properly. I eventually saved up enough money to buy the "full" MSVC2003 Standard for ~€130, what later became Express. I never made a single penny off it. I bet many people who got into programming through hobby gamedev lived a s…

Seems mingw's C++11 support is getting there too - though I couldn't find a definitive list. That solves some of my heartache at least.

Re: Microsoft Pulling Free Development Tools for Windows 8 Desktop Apps

#68

How will this affect applications like Matlab 2012 64bit, which require a compiler (such as in the Win 7 SDK) to be installed to use certain features such as SIMULINK? http://www.mathworks.com/support/compilers/R2012a/win64.html Will there even be a compiler they could licence from MS and bundle?

They could add support for GCC (MinGW) and ship it.

Re: Microsoft Pulling Free Development Tools for Windows 8 Desktop Apps

#69
post #31

Just another step towards a closed, locked down world where every app is vetted, approved and ultimately constrained to not compete with the business interests of the two largest tech companies in the world. I know, people will say, this hardly makes a difference, right? But all the steps hardly make a difference. OSX Mountain Lion defaulting to only allow apps signed with a certificate from Apple? Why, the user can…

I used Linux on the desktop/laptop for a long time, then switched to Mac. Looks like I might have to contemplate a switch back in the next few years.

It would be hard, but if they do actually push a totally locked down iOS-style platform it'll be the end.

Re: Microsoft Pulling Free Development Tools for Windows 8 Desktop Apps

#70
Walled garden platforms are taking over partly because all operating systems are fundamentally broken with regard to privilege isolation, security, and application installability/uninstallability.

The fact is that for the average non-techie user, allowing unsigned/untested apps results in a system full of malware and crappy software that destroys it. That's because the OS is not isolated from apps, and apps are not isolated from each other.

The popularity of virtualization is also due in large part to this. Why can't you just rent accounts on large Linux servers? Why is KVM, OpenVZ/Parallels Virtuozzo, etc. necessary? Because everything requires root and everything pollutes the OS space.

Broken, broken, broken.

The way Macs package .app directories full of all files related to an application is a huge step in the right direction. The next step is to utterly forbid "installers" and make everything work this way, and to add stronger privilege isolation and organized APIs for apps to talk to each other. These should probably be based around peer-to-peer networking so that an app can locate and talk to another app regardless of what box it's on.

That would be significantly less broken.

Then allow apps to have their own addresses. We probably have to wait for IPv6 for this, but not necessarily. Then an app can bind, run services, etc. without requiring root.

Finally, banish the entire concept of root/administrator except for OS developers and OS maintenance. The vast, vast majority of users (even power users) should never need to even know these exist.

The bottom line is that the entire concept of "installing" something "on" the OS needs to be killed. Installers are ugly nasty hacks. Package management (ala rpm, deb, etc.) is also an ugly hack. Signed apps in walled gardens is an even nastier and downright evil hack to get around the brokenness of these ugly hacks.

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