Open letter to Silverlight / WPF developers to Microsoft
In recent years, Microsoft has formed an extensive and professional developer community on the .NET platform. But now many of them feel cheated when they see the Microsoft press release and the video with the new concept of the Windows 8 interface , which has relied on HTML5 / JavaScript applications. Enough to read the discussion in some forums to understand the degree of concern of developers.
Microsoft was in a difficult situation. On the one hand, the PC evolution seems to be pushing them to support web technologies (although why refusing Silverlight in favor of HTML5 / JavaScript on Windows is completely incomprehensible, because Silverlight was chosen for Windows Phone 7). On the other hand, there is a whole army of programmers who have spent years studying .NET and developing applications.
More recently, WPF was considered a key and promising technology for building Windows client applications. Some even suggested that WPF would replace the Windows API in the future and become the basis of the new super-object-oriented Windows. But the first developer builds of Windows 8 radically changed the situation. In just a couple of months, WPF has turned from a promising and indispensable technology into something dubious with an uncertain future.
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The above video explains that there will be two classes of applications in Windows 8: new HTML5 / JavaScript applications and old WPF and Silverlight applications. Of course, backward compatibility will remain. But it's not about backward compatibility, but that old applications become “second-class applications” based on “old” technology, while HTML5 / JavaScript will be something new, fresh and relevant in Windows. As before, developers expressed enthusiasm for WPF and Silverlight, so now HTML5 and JavaScript will become fashionable.
All this is rather strange, because from a technological point of view, .NET looks like a more advanced platform than HTML5 / JavaScript, so such a radical change in concept causes great concern in the bright future of Windows.
Considering all the above, the Silverlight / WPF developers have compiled an open letter to Microsoft calling for “full support for the excellent Silverlight and WPF platforms in Windows 8”, along with support for the new HTML5 platform that has already been announced.
The developers of WPF and Silverlight believe that they have good reason to fear for the future of Microsoft .NET UI, which they “love and support because it is the best in the world” if Microsoft takes secondary positions to it in Windows 8. In this case, the platform will have no future and it will not receive sufficient support.
The announcement of a "new platform based on HTML5 and JavaScript" (phrase from the Microsoft press release) could mean new opportunities for the development of Windows. Although the views of the developers on this subject differ, but most of them still welcome these opening opportunities. But at the same time, many people suspect that the “new platform” will be presented in Windows 8 in a way that will damage the importance of SL / WPF, according to an open letter.
The developers also note that no official statement about Windows 8 ever mentioned the future role of .NET, WPF or Silverlight, while the HTML5 platform was constantly mentioned. The same applies to conferences for developers: on MIX 2011, HTML5 technologies were actively discussed and very little was mentioned about Silverlight.
Open letter authors are asking Microsoft for the same WPF and Silverlight application status with HTML5 applications, full integration of WPF and Silverlight applications into the future AppStore directory, and specific applications at upcoming Microsoft conferences recognizing the important role of WPF / Silverlight and guaranteed future technologies.
Microsoft was in a difficult situation. On the one hand, the PC evolution seems to be pushing them to support web technologies (although why refusing Silverlight in favor of HTML5 / JavaScript on Windows is completely incomprehensible, because Silverlight was chosen for Windows Phone 7). On the other hand, there is a whole army of programmers who have spent years studying .NET and developing applications.
More recently, WPF was considered a key and promising technology for building Windows client applications. Some even suggested that WPF would replace the Windows API in the future and become the basis of the new super-object-oriented Windows. But the first developer builds of Windows 8 radically changed the situation. In just a couple of months, WPF has turned from a promising and indispensable technology into something dubious with an uncertain future.
')
The above video explains that there will be two classes of applications in Windows 8: new HTML5 / JavaScript applications and old WPF and Silverlight applications. Of course, backward compatibility will remain. But it's not about backward compatibility, but that old applications become “second-class applications” based on “old” technology, while HTML5 / JavaScript will be something new, fresh and relevant in Windows. As before, developers expressed enthusiasm for WPF and Silverlight, so now HTML5 and JavaScript will become fashionable.
All this is rather strange, because from a technological point of view, .NET looks like a more advanced platform than HTML5 / JavaScript, so such a radical change in concept causes great concern in the bright future of Windows.
Considering all the above, the Silverlight / WPF developers have compiled an open letter to Microsoft calling for “full support for the excellent Silverlight and WPF platforms in Windows 8”, along with support for the new HTML5 platform that has already been announced.
The developers of WPF and Silverlight believe that they have good reason to fear for the future of Microsoft .NET UI, which they “love and support because it is the best in the world” if Microsoft takes secondary positions to it in Windows 8. In this case, the platform will have no future and it will not receive sufficient support.
The announcement of a "new platform based on HTML5 and JavaScript" (phrase from the Microsoft press release) could mean new opportunities for the development of Windows. Although the views of the developers on this subject differ, but most of them still welcome these opening opportunities. But at the same time, many people suspect that the “new platform” will be presented in Windows 8 in a way that will damage the importance of SL / WPF, according to an open letter.
The developers also note that no official statement about Windows 8 ever mentioned the future role of .NET, WPF or Silverlight, while the HTML5 platform was constantly mentioned. The same applies to conferences for developers: on MIX 2011, HTML5 technologies were actively discussed and very little was mentioned about Silverlight.
Open letter authors are asking Microsoft for the same WPF and Silverlight application status with HTML5 applications, full integration of WPF and Silverlight applications into the future AppStore directory, and specific applications at upcoming Microsoft conferences recognizing the important role of WPF / Silverlight and guaranteed future technologies.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/122075/
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