During its Build 2014 conference this week, Microsoft decided to open the door for developers with a new program revolving around “universal Windows Apps,” which allows them to build applications for phones, tablets, Windows Pcs and even the Xbox One.
“Google and Apple, they have a different approach – they want you to create one app for phones and tablets and a different app for phones and laptop,” said David Treadwell, corporate vice president for Microsoft’s operating systems group. The company has “streamlined every phase of the development cycle,” according to him, with better ways to make applications and debug them on the fly.
A number of languages will be supportsed, including C++, HTML, JavaScript and others. Microsoft wants the applications to be broadly useful. “What we are going to enable is your universal Windows applications running on the Xbox,” said Terry Myerson, executive vice president of Microsoft’s operating systems groups.
The new feature is expected to play a huge role with the company’s Visual Studio set-up, as it will be possible to take an existing app into Visual Studio and transform it into a universal app. The Windows store will also be simplified, allowing you to be an app once and use it across multiple devices.
Source: VentureBeat
