Foreword

The life of the software developer isn’t an easy one. Every ten years or so, he has to throw away everything he knows and start all over again. Times change, and technologies change even faster. A decade ago, developers had to retool their skill sets for the move from Win32 to .NET and C#. Today, there’s a new platform in town. It’s called Windows 8, and with it comes a profound shift in the way Windows apps are conceived and executed.

Windows 8 is like no Windows the world has seen before. The new Windows programming model favors simplicity, security, and battery efficiency above all else. Modern Windows apps run full-screen, single-instance, and one at a time. Their UIs can be built in XAML, HTML, or DirectX. They run in a sandbox that stops malicious code in its tracks, and they’re inspected before they’re published in the Windows Store to make sure they don’t violate the sandbox. They prefer touch screens but play equally well with mice and other input devices. Moreover, they install with a single click and uninstall without leaving a trace.

Underneath the new user interface is a new API: The Windows Runtime API, better known as WinRT. WinRT represents a rethinking of what the Windows API would look like if it were redesigned from the ground up. The old Windows API is outdated, overly complex, and tied to a specific language. The WinRT API, by contrast, is thoroughly modern and can be called from a variety of languages. Indeed, one of the most remarkable aspects of Windows 8 is that for the first time in history, a developer versed in HTML and JavaScript enjoys the same ability to write Windows apps as developers who speak XAML and C#.

What it means for the developer is—you guessed it—time to start over again. WinRT is the Windows API now, and the new UI layer, formerly known as “Metro,” is the new face of Windows apps. Be bold or be left behind.

Becoming a Windows 8 developer means learning WinRT. It means getting comfortable with asynchronous programming. It means understanding that a Windows app that isn’t visible to the user is suspended and that an app that’s suspended can be unceremoniously terminated by the operating system at any time. It means learning about contracts, which allow apps to integrate with the charms that slide out from the right side of the screen. It means learning about live tiles, push notifications, and other features that make an app a first-class citizen in the Windows 8 environment. It means understanding the Windows 8 design philosophy and how to use XAML to craft compelling, fluid, and responsive Windows UIs.

When you’re in the wilderness, it helps to have a guide who has been there before. I can’t think of anyone more qualified to lead you on the journey to Windows 8 enlightenment than Jeremy Likness. Jeremy is the only person I know who works 32 hours a day. (He sleeps the other four.) I used to say that I might work with people a lot smarter than me, but none of them can work more hours than me. I’ve had to reconsider that with Jeremy. Shoot him an e-mail at 3:00 a.m., and you’ll have a reply by 3:02. That’s why he’s a Principal Consultant at Wintellect and why we turn to him to architect and implement Windows 8 solutions for our customers. A teacher can be only so effective if he isn’t out there working in the trenches. Jeremy builds real apps for real customers. That’s why I can heartily recommend this book and why I’m excited to see how it’s received by the community.

Windows 8 is a bold move on Microsoft’s part—perhaps the boldest move the company has made since the introduction of Windows itself. But it’s the right move at the right time. The action in software development for the next ten years won’t revolve around traditional PCs. It’ll be in writing apps for tablets, phones, and other mobile devices. Companies will be built and millionaires will be made from apps for devices with portable form factors, including Microsoft’s new Surface tablet. To ignore WinRT is to ignore the part of the Microsoft stack that lets you write for these devices.

Learn WinRT. Go out and write some great apps. Help make this platform a success. And keep this book handy. When you run into problems, it’s the next best thing to an instant response to a 3:00 a.m. e-mail. From Jeremy’s perspective, it’s even better.

—Jeff Prosise, Co-Founder, Wintellect