Apps built using the Desktop Bridge now available in the Windows Store!
A few months ago, during Build 2016, we announced the Desktop Bridge, enabling developers to bring their existing desktop apps and games over to the Universal Windows Platform (UWP) by converting their app or game with the Desktop App Converter and then enhancing and extending it with UWP functionality. This then enables the path to gradually migrate the app or game to reach all Windows 10 devices over time, including phones, Xbox One and HoloLens.
Last month, along with the Windows 10 Anniversary Update SDK, we announced a process for you to start bringing these converted apps and games to the Windows Store for easier and safer distribution to customers.
First apps available in the Windows Store
Today we’re pleased to announce that new apps including Evernote, Arduino IDE, Double Twist, PhotoScape, MAGIX Movie Edit Pro, Virtual Robotics Kit, Relab, SQL Pro, Voya Media, Predicted Desire and korAccount will become available in the Windows Store within the next few days for Windows 10 customers running the Anniversary Update (if you haven’t updated yet here’s how you can). As the apps become available in the Store, you will be able to find them in a full collection of apps built using the Desktop Bridge in the Windows Store.
These are the same apps that customers know and love, but are now available for download in the trusted Windows Store. For your customers, the Windows Store is the safest and most secure place for them to find and manage content across a range of Windows devices, including PCs, phones, Xbox One and HoloLens. For developers, the Desktop Bridge enables you to make use of the new functionality available to UWP apps right out of the gate, including access to a host of new APIs like Live Tiles, Cortana and Action Center that provide best-in-class support for thousands of scenarios across all of Windows. Evernote is already taking advantage of the new APIs to bring innovation to customers.
“We’re excited to bring our full-featured Evernote app to the Windows Store. The Desktop Bridge vastly simplifies our installer and uninstaller. It also opens up UWP APIs that we’ve taken advantage of, including the live tiles and notifications. And having the full-featured Evernote app in the Windows Store means future improvements will reach users faster.” —Seth Hitchings, VP Engineering, Evernote
Tooling updates for the Desktop Bridge
In addition, we’re happy to announce that today we have made the Desktop App Converter available for download directly from the Windows Store. This will enable updates of the Desktop App Converter with the latest features and bug-fixes to automatically be available to you as soon as we release them.
Finally, we are expanding the ways in which developers can create apps using the Desktop Bridge. Our partners, Flexera Software with InstallShield, FireGiant with WiX and Caphyon with Advanced Installer – three of the most popular Windows installer technologies – have included support for the Desktop Bridge, enabling developers to directly build an app package with their existing desktop app using the bridge as part of their existing developer workflow.
“Working in parallel with Microsoft, we are making it easy for our customers to transition their existing InstallShield MSI projects to build Universal Windows Platform and Windows Server App packages. InstallShield is the only product that enables developers to test their apps for compatibility with the Desktop Bridge and WSAs – saving countless hours of time, effort and investigative work.” – Maureen Polte, Vice President of Product Management at Flexera Software
“AppX packages and the Universal Windows Platform are the future of application deployment and development. It is our team’s core belief to support and educate our users, but also to provide them with the best packaging tool and services. We provide developers with the option to easily build a UWP app package for existing desktop applications from their existing MSI projects.” – Bogdan Mitrache, Advanced Installer
“The FireGiant AppX Extension works from your current WiX source code and integrates seamlessly into your WiX build process. There is no conversion process or managing of separate projects. Developers use the code they already have and the tools they’ve already learned to create both MSI and AppX packages.” – Rob Mensching, FireGiant CEO
We are thrilled with the community’s response to the Desktop Bridge, but there is always more to learn.
Other resources include:
Source: Apps built using the Desktop Bridge now available in the Windows Store!
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