What's Next at Microsoft

Windows Phone 8 codenamed Apollo

The first Windows phone 8 devices would be using Dual Core ST Ericsson Chip and have following basic features :

• Full HD 1080p camcorder, multiple codecs supported
  (H264 HP, VC-1, MPEG-4)
• High-resolution, touchscreen display support up to WXGA
• Simultaneous dual display support up to dual XGA
• High performance 3D graphics
• Dual camera support with Integrated ISP 20 Mpixel and 5 Mpixel
• Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and FM enabled platform
• Built-in USB 2.0, HDMI out
• Support for multiple operating systems
• Optional support for mobile TV standards

Thank you, Vulpes. Yes, I get the impression that Microsoft is finally giving C++ more attention then they have in the past. The more I learn about Windows Forms the more I get the impression that it was designed by VB 6 programmers that don't have good experience with object-oriented programming.

Note that I see nothing in that article inconsistent with my theory that Xamarin (or whatever Mono will be called) will also be relevant to what Microsoft is working on.

The following is my summary of the most important portions of the article that Vulpes has referred to.

There will be a new version of a .NET of course. The new technologies are WinRT, DirectUI and something currently called Jupiter. WinRT and DirectUI will be directly accessible from .Net.

DirectUI is built on Direct2D and DirectWrite and built from WPF/Silverlight technology.

Jupiter is a  new version of Silverlight that either uses DirectUI or is DirectUI.

WinRT is a native runtime that is compatible with C++ that will use COM (or something like it) that will replace the existing Win32 API but WinRT won't initially do everything that the Win32 API does.

Here's an article which summarizes the latest leaks (if that's the right word!) on what's in store for Windows 8 programming (http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2011/06/windows-8-for-software-developers-the-longhorn-dream-reborn.ars/).

This is certainly a more coherent story than what MS have said officially though, if it's true that there's to be a level playing field between C++ and .NET, I wonder how many professional developers will want to stay now with the latter?

We'll have to wait and see what eventually emerges but it might be time to dust off your copy of Bjarne Stroustrup's book :)

 More News about C++

 New Debugging Tool coming soon..

 

Thank you Vulpes.

I need to also research what are the new improvements to the C++ standard. I assume there are ample resources for that; I also have just not taken the time. A good, highly authoritative start would be C++0x - the next ISO C++ standard.

There may be some clues about WinC++ in this video interview with Mohsen Agsen (http://channel9.msdn.com/Shows/Going+Deep/Mohsen-Agsen-C-Today-and-Tomorrow) which I haven't had time to watch yet.

There are also a couple of interesting articles by Mary-Jo Foley (she talks to Kate Gregory about the above interview in the second):

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/microsoft/what-is-winc-and-how-does-it-figure-in-microsofts-bid-to-make-tools-a-2-billion-business/9359

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/microsoft/more-thoughts-on-what-may-be-on-tap-for-microsofts-winc-/9678

I think he has it backwards. Stupid things become legacies and Microsoft has many legacies. It is how they progress.

In the past, Microsoft has always given C++ less support than they could. They have done that especially now that they have C#. While they were promoting C#, C++ has been improved. I however know very little about the improvements.

WinC++ might only be Microsoft's implementation of the new C++ standard and it might still not have as much of Microsoft's support as it could. I get the impression that WinC++ will be more significant than that, but I definitely don't have any evidence of that; it is far too early to even speculate. Is it possible that C# will eventually become a legacy? Probably not, but I do think C# was not designed carefully enough.

Bill Gates mentioned other day, speech and touch are the next big thing.

Visual Studio 2012
Windows 8
Windows Phone 8
Surface
Multi-touch