Microsoft Windows 10 opens a new chapter under the new opportunities in the era of Internet of Everything

Microsoft Windows 10 system has always maintained high popularity and attracted global attention. The reason is not only the many excellent features of Windows 10, an operating system that spans PCs, mobile devices and the Internet of Things, but also the fact that everyone is looking forward to the transformation of "mobile first, cloud first" In the future, whether Microsoft can once again capture the hearts of developers around the world with Windows 10, a unified operating system that spans terminals and has a huge potential user base, let them focus on the Windows ecosystem again and give Microsoft application development priority Level, prosper the Windows ecosystem, and bring key developments to the Windows Phone mobile operating system to break through the blockade of iOS and Android on the market share of mobile operating systems. Help Nadella successfully implement his "mobile first, cloud first" strategy, allowing Microsoft, which lagged behind in the "early days of the mobile Internet", to open a new chapter under the new opportunities of the "Internet of Everything" era.

1. The biggest problem currently facing Microsoft

The biggest problem currently facing Microsoft is that the PC side where Microsoft dominates is declining, and the rapidly developing mobile side Microsoft But his voice is weak. The world's attention has shifted from PC to mobile, and Microsoft has gradually become marginalized. In order to change the status quo, Windows Phone and Windows 8 were launched as two major killers. I thought I could catch up with Apple and Google, or at least form a three-legged rivalry with them. However, Windows 8 is not popular due to its too radical changes. As a result of the vicious cycle of Windows Phone ecological chronic diseases, it is still in an absolutely disadvantaged position with a share of only 3%. The actual performance of both is unsatisfactory, and consumers' tolerance for them is approaching the breaking point.

In response to the biggest problem currently facing Microsoft, under the new CEO Nadella’s “mobile first, cloud first” strategy, Microsoft has developed a “cross-platform application, cross-terminal system, and embrace” strategy for the mobile terminal. "Open source" three major rescue prescriptions.

1. Cross-platform application

Due to the weak power of its own WP platform, it cannot carry out Microsoft's ambition to spread productivity to every corner of the world. For this reason, Microsoft has embarked on an unstoppable path of "mobile first, cross-platform applications", providing its own core-level applications for iOS and Android operating systems. So far, Microsoft's heavyweight applications such as the full range of Office MSN (health, weather, Outlook, information, Bing), Skype, OneNote, OneDrive, Officelens, Office Remote, and the latest Microsoft Health have successively landed on iPad, iPhone and Android platforms. And a large number of Microsoft Garage applications are available on iOS and Android systems. It has also reached cooperation intentions for product pre-installation with 11 Android device manufacturers such as Samsung, Sony, Dell, and Pegatron, as well as system developers such as CyanogenMod. And Microsoft is also active in cross-platform wearable device applications. It has previously brought input method applications to Android Wear, and it has quickly provided adapted versions of OneDrive, Word, PowerPoint and other applications for the newly launched Apple Watch. All of this demonstrates Microsoft's commitment to cross-platform applications.

2. System cross-terminal

The launch of Windows 10 system has realized the unification of all platforms that Microsoft has been brewing for a long time, which spans PC, mobile, XBOX and future objects. HoloLens for networking, embedded devices and black technology. And through the same kernel and universal application features of Windows 10, developers can develop the application once and run it on all platform terminals that support Windows, which not only reduces the difficulty of debugging and adapting the application for developers, but also reduces the cost of application development. Development costs and expanded application usage scenarios.

3. Embracing open source

Microsoft’s biggest change under Nadella may be its embrace of open source technology. Microsoft previously regarded open source technology as a cancer.

It also used the slogan "Microsoft loves Linux" and announced support for Docker and open source of .NET to support OSX and Linux. AllJoyn technology is now supported in Windows 10.

Microsoft's three major prescriptions for its weak voice on the mobile terminal can be summarized into two aspects: First, expand the boundaries of Microsoft's own excellent application ecosystem and occupy the iOS and Android platforms. , cultivate users' usage habits of Microsoft applications, and make core applications become platform-level products; second, build a better application development platform, provide better development tools, and provide more convenience for developers' application development, so as to Attract developers to return to the Windows ecosystem.

The first Keynote speech of Build2015, which revolves around the three major themes of "Building Intelligent Cloud, Reshaping Production Efficiency and Business Processes, and Creating More Personal Computing", will combine this Microsoft's The efficacy of the three major prescriptions is further exerted. In the first Keynote speech, Microsoft presented a lot of useful information, allowing developers to enter the golden age of application development, successfully turning its own core-level applications into new platform-level applications, and providing developers with a large number of new development ideas. After reading the three major themes, I would like to say something to the majority of application developers: You are in the golden age of application developers; when developing applications, adapting to platform-based applications will be a major direction of application development. And it's time to return to Windows, the ecological blue ocean where huge treasures are buried.

2. The Golden Age of Cross-Platform Developers

In tonight’s first Keynote speech, Microsoft released Visual Studio Code for Mac and Visual Studio Code for Linux in the “Building Intelligent Cloud” event. At this point, Visual Studio Code, as a code optimization editor, began to span the Windows platform, Mac platform, and Linux platform, becoming a free full-platform application code editor. This means that regardless of whether developers use Mac, Linux, or Windows, they can use Visual Studio Code to develop app.

It announced .NET open source last year, and today the preview version of .NET Core for Linux, Windows, and Mac was also officially released. All this makes it more convenient for developers to cross-platform developers. And Microsoft provides more convenience to developers in the Azure cloud. Microsoft Azure cloud has also hosted 1.4 million SQL databases, 50 Trillion storage objects, 425 million Active Directory users and 3 million developers registered for Visual Studio Online. And cloud programming can be implemented on Azure cloud services, and the database pool on Azure cloud services can learn using machine learning mechanisms. This database pool will become more and more intelligent and provide more detailed reports.

3. Core-level application platformization

In the first Keynote speech, Microsoft demonstrated Office 2016 using a device equipped with Windows 10. The rich extensibility functions of Office were demonstrated on site, and its extensions can now run on the Office desktop and online versions as well as the iOS version. At this point, Office, the original core killer application of Microsoft, has been upgraded to a platform application. Through plug-ins, the boundaries of applications can be greatly expanded. Next, extended support for Microsoft core applications will be a general direction worthy of developers' attention. In the on-site demonstration, Microsoft also showed off more interactivity of Outlook 2016. For example, by working with Uber plug-ins, you can use Outlook to start Uber taxis. also. Microsoft also launched Skype Presence WebAPI.

4. Windows 10 as a service, a convenient way for developers

As mentioned before, Windows 10 has been aiming for unification since its birth. It has the same core and unified app store. , allowing developers to adapt to PC, mobile, XBOXOne game platform and future Internet of Things and black technology HoloLens at one time when developing applications.

A Windows app (formerly Universal App) developed by a developer can support all Windows 10 devices. Many of the platform considerations required to develop applications for Android and Apple in the past can be eliminated on Windows 10, achieving one-time compilation and support for all Windows 10 platform devices. Moreover, developers can integrate Cortana and Xbox Live in their applications (many applications have already integrated it), and allow natural user interactions such as language and stylus to be added. What is even cooler is that the application can be turned into a HoloLens. Holographic applications. More importantly, this is a blue ocean market containing huge gold mines. According to Microsoft, within two to three years, 1 billion devices will be able to run Windows 10. For developers, the breadth and gold content of the market prospects are extremely huge.

I need to make a point here: Developers, don’t hesitate anymore, now is the time to enter the ecological blue ocean of Windows, which is buried with huge treasures. It’s time to develop high-quality applications for the Windows ecosystem. If you are afraid, take a look at Tencent, which is nearest to us. Its QQ and WeChat are logged in. A moment of hesitation may bring endless disadvantages to latecomers.

5. Controversial ways to obtain applications

In the first Keynote speech, Microsoft announced four new ways to obtain new applications in the Windows 10 App Store. The first is a direct web application packaging solution that directly reuses current server hosting websites and tools. The second is to directly obtain .NET and Win32-bit applications in Windows Store. Developers can publish existing desktop applications to Windows Store. Third, Android application Java and C code can be reused to create Windows 10 mobile applications. Fourth, iOSObitiveC can also be converted into Windows 10 applications.

With the help of Windows 10 development language support and the Visual Studio Code for Mac and Visual Studio Code for Linux cross-platform compilers released by Microsoft at the beginning of the conference, the iOS and Android applications developed by developers can be quickly transplanted to Windows 10 application. The advantage of using this method to attract all applications is that the shortage of ecological applications that has been plaguing Microsoft's mobile terminal has hope of a quick solution, which will help increase device sales and break the current vicious cycle of the WP ecosystem. But the downside is that after developers have such a convenient transplantation method, will there be developers willing to develop applications that meet the characteristics of the Windows Phone operating system? How to ensure the high-level application experience and reduce counterfeiting of fast-growing applications that are quickly transplanted? The emergence of applications. Therefore, when there were rumors in the industry before, it caused considerable controversy. Most WP enthusiasts believe that Microsoft's approach is not a wise choice, but more like an act of drinking poison to quench thirst.

I personally think that the practical reason why Microsoft chose this highly controversial approach this time is still the lack of attractiveness of the mobile terminal. And I think using this quick-growth strategy will do far more harm to the Windows ecosystem than the current benefit. It is very possible that I picked the sesame seeds and lost the watermelon. And, based on BlackBerry's experience (although it is completely different from BlackBerry's implementation), it remains to be seen whether Microsoft's approach will cause the Windows ecosystem to suffer from an incurable cancer. But for developers, this is a major benefit, allowing applications to be ported quickly. It greatly reduces development costs and reduces a lot of troubles.

6. Spartan finally gets its name, HoloLens continues to explode with black technology

The new browser code-named Project Spartan finally has an official name today - Microsoft Edge, which supports fast Chrome Extension plug-in porting. The black technology HoloLens that appeared at the "TheNextChapte" conference continued to make big moves at this conference.

It has attracted a large number of heavyweight partners such as NASA, Unity, Legendary, Autodesk, Disney, etc., and will play an important role in medical, architectural design, entertainment games, video and other commercial fields. The only suspense will be when it can be commercialized. .

Of course, Microsoft has made certain optimization changes to Windows 10 this time. For example, Cortana has been integrated into the Windows 10 start menu and can directly initiate deep commands for applications through voice. Spotlight increases lock screen explorability, uses a new start menu, and demonstrates the launch of the Continuum feature for mobile phones.

As can be seen from the above, the fundamental purpose of Microsoft's many efforts is to attract developers to return their attention to the Windows ecosystem and promote the prosperity of the Windows ecosystem in the mobile Internet era. For Microsoft, Build2015, a developer conference, is even more important than the previous Windows 10 conferences. Because Microsoft's developer policies and the development tools and platform prospects it provides will directly affect developers' interest in the Windows platform.

Fortunately, at Build2015, which is Microsoft’s last chance to reverse its decline and is also a feast for developers, Microsoft has come up with a lot of good stuff, such as providing developers with better software for free. Development tools and development environments, creating new platform-level application extensions for developers, providing developers with more ideas when developing applications, etc. Various initiatives implemented by Microsoft have brought developers into a better era, providing developers with the next gold mine that can be deeply explored and is still a blue ocean. Although Microsoft has launched a "chicken-and-egg" application acquisition method, it remains to be seen whether it will be a blessing or a curse for the Microsoft ecosystem. But for developers, it’s all good.

Every time I watch a Microsoft press conference, it is a wonderful journey to recharge my faith. Now, what I need to reassure you again is: Developers, it’s time to go all out on the Windows ecosystem, and it’s time to tap into Microsoft Windows 10, a billion-level platform.