"If you build it, they will come."
In 1989's Field of Dreams, the character Ray hears a voice that simply says, "If you build it, he will come." In obedience to this voice, Ray plows down his cornfield, (the source of his income) and builds a baseball diamond in its place. As the story continues, Ray has a miraculous encounter with an individual that was drawn to the field that he built in faith.
In like manner, Microsoft accomplished the unprecedented as they followed the voices from its past.
Twenty years ago, Microsoft began a journey that would see them depart from a well-established paradigm in the industry. Operating systems tailored for specific form factors or built on different foundations has been the way personal computing has been done for years. It is the way tech giants such as Apple with iOS, watchOS, macOS and tvOS, and Google with Android and Chrome, continue to do things. Android apps in Chrome are, however, a "half-step" in the direction of unification.
The UWP is not a response to Microsoft's struggles in mobile.
Like a farmer who would not plow down his corn and source of income, most tech giants would not change what works. Microsoft has taken a gamble with the Universal Windows Platform, proving that it is not like most tech companies. It's worth noting that the UWP is not a response to Microsoft's struggles in mobile ? the journey toward a unified platform began before the challenges of a struggling mobile platform essentially required a change in the way Redmond does personal computing.
This change in personal computing which provides a consistent UI and core across form factors also presents an opportunity for developers.
Simply put, though a tad more involved, a developer can code once for all device types including PC, HoloLens, phone, Xbox, Surface and any new Windows 10 device Microsoft conceives. Many developers have taken advantage of this opportunity.
Microsoft has invested decades of research, time and money confident in the belief that if they built it, developers would come to the UWP. Though many developers have yet to come and some have left, many developers have indeed embraced the platform. With a growing and maturing Windows 10 device family, like-minded developers will likely continue to join the ranks of those who embrace Microsoft's realized universal platform dream.
Full story from the WindowsCentral blog...
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