Windows 8 Replaces the Win32 API (with WinRT)

[DarkDragon]

BTW, Silverlight is not actually native to the OS, its really in addition to the OS, for right now at least.

I know, but microsoft and its .NET things .. I think they wanted it to be the mainstream api after a while.

[USCode]

... You want to be using Win32API 20 years from now? I don't. ...

This is why I'm always encouraging the cross-platform capabilities of PB.
Then if the Win32 API goes away, it's just a matter of Fred porting to WinRT from Win32.
Not a trivial task but much easier that ALL of us porting applications with lots of Win32 API calls.
Just as someday (sooner than later with Apple) he will need to port Mac PB from Carbon to Cocoa.

[SFSxOI]

BTW, Silverlight is not actually native to the OS, its really in addition to the OS, for right now at least.

I know, but microsoft and its .NET things .. I think they wanted it to be the mainstream api after a while.

.NET did become mainstream and is already is a mainstream API, as is the Win32 API, as are Apples API's, as are the Linux API's, JAVA API, etc..... They are mainstream to those that use them or develop for them and for the applications that use them. Its all in the context, if you develop with Win32 API it will still be there to develop with when Windows 8 comes out.

Something I do see picking up steam when Windows 8 comes out is Azure (for apps for the cloud features of Windows and things focused on virtualization. The virtualization thing is something I think Fred should look into for PureBasic in the future, a lot of Windows 8 stuff will use virtualization.

[Thorium]

You want to be using Win32API 20 years from now? I don't.

Why not?

Win32 API isnt dead and will never be as long as it's a windows system. The Win32 API is much more than just creating windows and handling controlls, it contains the whole userland system stuff. Like handling processes, threads and stuff. This is vital for windows and i am pretty sure they dont reprogrammed all that. They most likley just wrapped it in WinRT, so WinRT relies on the Win32 API. This can easily be proofed or disproofed by looking at the disassembly of WinRT. I didnt do that for now because i dont see the need for installing it now, but you can do it.

Dont forget that a lot of stuff you read is just marketing, under the hood thinks are often different.

[Zach]

It's not just about Windowing API.



I am a firm believer that software can have a finite age/usefulness. Win32 was designed in a totally different era of computers, compared to what we have today. Like many of Windows' internal systems it has probably been worked around, patched, repatched, hacked, and modified a dozen different ways to keep it working nicely, and provide new functionality.

Or even if it has remained relatively static, that is all the more reason to eventually let it die. Windows XP kicked off a process of continual improvement and experimentation from Microsoft. Each version of Windows has had its flaws, but it has also brought many changes to users, some of them radical.

I really believe Windows has entered a state of flux where it is looking for a new Identity, something that is clearly "not Apple", and clearly not the old clunky Windows of yesteryear. Maybe I am wrong in this, I don't know?

But Win32API really is old. There is no shame in the idea of retiring it for a newer system that may bring newer, easier possibilities. Part of advancement is leaving things behind; you can't move forward until you throw off your shackles.

[Thorium]

I am a firm believer that software can have a finite age/usefulness. Win32 was designed in a totally different era of computers, compared to what we have today. Like many of Windows' internal systems it has probably been worked around, patched, repatched, hacked, and modified a dozen different ways to keep it working nicely, and provide new functionality.

My philosophy is more: "Never change a running system."
Software doesnt grow old. It does today exactly what it did yesterday and will do it tomorrow. Your needs may change, so you need to change the software but in many cases this is just marketing telling you that you need something new. I dont see any big changes in windows since it went 32bit.

[Zach]

It's a matter of perception. Maybe "old" isn't the right word, but its still correct to determine its usefulness in terms of how long it has been around, and what you want to be able to do in the future.

At some point, you are better off gutting it and starting clean, with a fresher, new approach. The gamble is getting people to accept it.

It's the same reason why some people, even though they might really love classic car bodies, still put a modern motor with fuel injection, a much safer breaking system, power steering, and other modern amenities into such a restoration. Some things will be changes for the better.

It's not an exact analogy, but I think it somewhat conveys the point.

[Thorium]

It's a matter of perception. Maybe "old" isn't the right word, but its still correct to determine its usefulness in terms of how long it has been around, and what you want to be able to do in the future.

At some point, you are better off gutting it and starting clean, with a fresher, new approach. The gamble is getting people to accept it.

It's the same reason why some people, even though they might really love classic car bodies, still put a modern motor with fuel injection, a much safer breaking system, power steering, and other modern amenities into such a restoration. Some things will be changes for the better.

It's not an exact analogy, but I think it somewhat conveys the point.

You are right.
But WinRT isnt a clean new start. It's just a new API for a new user interface, which in my opinion isnt ground breaking at all, it's just a touch interface. For desktops it's horrible and very inefficient in work flow. I am using Windows 7 but i am still using the classic theme, dont need all the useless graphics stuff and under the hood it's all the same.

[Zach]

I would use Classic Theme myself, but its too damn slow

That pissed me off. I know they gimped it on purpose, and then they removed the classic start menu on top of that.