Is Microsoft Strangling the Desktop PC? (UWP Explained)
Techquickie
·Techquickie
·2019-05-06
·
935 words · ~4 min read
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By now you probably expect to be able to run software and services on lots of different platforms.
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Facebook works on your smartphone and on your PC, and you can watch Netflix on your 4k TV, your computer, or your tablet.
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But of course,
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supporting all of these different devices means more work for software developers.
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Sometimes to the point where they won't even bother rewriting a program that you like for a different operating system,
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or if they do, it ends up being
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buggy and inferior as we discussed in our episode on Windows f- sorry, excuse me. I mean video game ports.
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But fear not, the ever-merciful
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Microsoft has come to our rescue with its
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Universal Windows Platform, or UWP, an API that sits between the
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operating
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system and the program to make it much easier for developers to code programs just once for a number of different devices.
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Even if they aren't using traditional x86 processors from Intel or AMD.
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That is, as long as those devices are running a
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Microsoft operating system. So UWP will work on Windows 10, the Xbox One, and
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HoloLens, if that thing ever makes it to market. So UWP achieves this by
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having a number of core APIs that work behind the scenes to allow code to be understood and executed properly
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across these devices. And it's also got some features that are more visible to you, the consumer at home.
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Like an ability to scale visual elements properly,
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depending on whether you're using an app on a large screen with a keyboard and mouse, or on a much smaller device with touch. And
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if a developer wants to add additional features that are only available on a certain platform,
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like
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touchscreen toggles or keyboard and mouse support, he or she can use
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adaptive code that will only run if the UWP app is running on that type of device, or
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even restrict the app to one platform.
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You see this actually with certain games that are only intended to run on Xbox for licensing reasons, or
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apps that are locked to touchscreen devices because their UI design requires it. But
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while Microsoft's rationale is that making
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UWP apps only available through the Windows Store allows them to screen them for improved user security,
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this move has opened the program up to a number of criticisms.
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One huge one is that this UWP plus Windows Store system is a walled garden,
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meaning that this platform that Microsoft is actively encouraging developers to code for
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originally could not be updated or even loaded outside of the Microsoft Store.
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Making it a fairly closed ecosystem.
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This generated concern that Microsoft might be demanding too much control over what programs can and cannot be run on their devices and
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how they can be run. And although standard versions of Windows 10 obviously allow you to run compatible programs from any source, and
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Microsoft has updated Windows to allow loading of UWP apps directly from publishers without going through the Windows Store,
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Microsoft is still trying to find creative ways to encourage users to fulfill all of their software needs
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from the Windows Store. As with the stripped down Windows 10s, which you can learn more about here, and
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the more recent S mode for regular Windows that prevents outside
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executables from being installed. In fact, the CEO of Epic Games wasn't shy about sharing his disdain for UWP,
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despite the fact that his studio produced Gears of War 4.
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A major UWP title.
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Speaking of gaming though, although UWP does have the benefit of allowing you to play the same game on both PC and Xbox
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without needing to buy it twice in many cases,
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enthusiasts have noticed that UWP has a tendency to lock down games in some ways.
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Preventing them from being modded, working with multi GPU setups, or even simply not managing to play nicely with frame counting programs.
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And these are just a few examples.
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So combine all of this with the fact that UWP is strictly for Microsoft operating systems and
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won't improve the seamlessness of your experience if you don't use an Xbox or a Windows phone,
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it isn't too surprising that it hasn't thrilled either its users or
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developers.
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