Jerry Nixon @Work: 30 more questions about Windows 8 that I get asked all the time

Jerry Nixon on Windows

Friday, July 20, 2012

30 more questions about Windows 8 that I get asked all the time

imageThis post is a continuation of my previous post.

As a developer evangelist, I interact with a lot of developers. Many developers are just meeting Windows 8 for the very first time. Some developers have started to tinker. And, others are deep into their first application – on target for the store. The common thread between them are a set of recurring questions that I get over and over. I thought I would document a few of them.

Note: since Windows 8 has not been released some of these answers are subject to change. At time of writing (June 19, 2012) these answers are correct.

  1. Should all desktop apps be migrate to metro? No
  2. Will the Windows 8 store support trials? Yes
  3. Will the Windows 8 store support subscriptions? No
  4. Will enterprise apps deliver through the Windows 8 store? No
  5. Can enterprises disable the Windows 8 store? Yes
  6. Can enterprises disable side-loading of apps? Yes
  7. Can apps in the Windows 8 store access desktop apps & services? No
  8. Can side-loaded apps access desktop apps & services? Yes
  9. Can parents disable the Windows 8 store for kids? Yes
  10. Can parents limit the hours in the day their kids can log in? Yes
  11. Can parents limit the cumulative time in a day kids can use the PC? Yes
  12. Can parents filter available web sites? Yes
  13. Can parents disable games based on their rating? Yes
  14. Can Visual Studio 2010 be used to build Metro apps? No
  15. Can Visual Studio 2012 be used to build Windows 7 apps? Yes
  16. Can Visual Studio 2010 access Team Foundation Server 2012? Yes
  17. Can Visual Studio 2012 open 2010 projects without altering them? Yes
  18. Can Visual Studio 2010 open 2012 projects? No
  19. Does the .Net 4 async keyword work in WinRT? Yes
  20. Does Windows 8 WinRT code run on Windows Phone 7? No
  21. Does Windows Phone 7 code run on Windows 8? Yes, some
  22. Does Windows Phone 8 code run on Windows 8? Yes, more
  23. Does Windows 8 code run on Windows Phone 7? Yes, some
  24. Does Windows 8 code run on Windows Phone 8? Yes, more
  25. Can metro applications roam settings/files across desktops? Yes
  26. Can desktop applications roam settings, too? No
  27. Can metro applications roam settings/files to Windows Phone? No
  28. Can Windows Phone roam settings to Windows 8? No
  29. Does Windows 8 metro support XNA game development? No
  30. When will Windows 8 be released? October maybe?

Corrections? Comment.
Got questions? Comment.