Windows 10

[MikeBa]

MS Windows 10 is due for release this summer, with the likelihood of Windows 10 for Phone being able to run many of the same applications. Does anyone have an inkling of how Dyalog might embrace this new MS environment?
I suppose I am thinking along the lines of Dyalog applications being downloadable from the Windows App Store, which I believe will include well-behaved desktop applications (Adobe Photoshop has been mentioned).

[JohnD|Dyalog]

Hello Mike,

Microsoft is working on a framework which will allow "Windows Desktop Applications" to be purchased and downloaded through the Windows App Store. We hope to be able to allow your runtime applications to be distributed that way. We'll make an announcement as soon as we are able.

As for running Dyalog applications on Windows Phone 10, that requires more work than just the installation mechanism but we are looking into it. Again, we'll make an announcement when we can.

Best Regards,
John Daintree

[MikeBa]

Thanks John,
Sounds very encouraging. Dyalog are clearly keeping abreast of Microsoft's development strategy and will doubtless exploit any new opportunities to widen the reach of APL.

I suspect that Dyalog is mostly used for bespoke, in-house and/or rather grand applications. The Windows App Store with its sandboxed approach, might encourage developers to build smaller/cheaper stuff that appeals to 'Joe Public' who would be very wary of downloading unknown desktop software from the web. To state the obvious, people seem to be using zillions of different 'Apps', but the range of mass-market desktop software has shrunk to a handful - MS Office, Adobe and various AVs.

Best regards,
Mike

[MBaas]

Wow, I wish we had Like-Button for forum-posts! ;-)

[RossHale]

Microsoft recently made available another <<free>> kit for simple development of cross platform apps for Windows 8.1 Windows 10 across PC's, Tablets and Phones.

Windows App Studio -- not to be confused with Visual Studio.

Apps are built by selecting templates and attaching a data source.

It seems quite plausible that Dyalog APL could be used to build a data source.

Such an app could access its custom Dyalog data source directly or on a Windows Phone through local WIFI or in an office from a server with office LAN or WIFI
or remotely through the internet.

There may be an opportunity here to widen the appeal or accessibility to more complex existing applications by providing apps for VIP access or wider distribution to stakeholders and clients.

It may be that Windows App Studio may provide a simpler waypoint in the spectrum of packaging applications from directly interacting with Workspaces through full blown HTML and WPF toolkits.

If this idea appeals to anyone, take and run...

[ray]

If I upgrade my existing Desktop/Laptop running Dyalog APL (V14.0 or 14.1) under Windows 7 to Windows 10, will my workspaces require changes to run under Windows 10?

I have checked the Windows 10 compatibility center, but it has no knowledge of Dyalog or Dyalog APL. (It does say my device is compatible but one Windows "app" a Phone emulator is not.)

Will existing ⎕NA calls to 32 (or 64) bit WinAPI continue to work?

(Some of my old code still checks for running under Windows 3.1!)