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CHAPTER 11<br />
Universal apps and the new<br />
Windows Store<br />
The fundamental dividing line between Microsoft Windows 7 and its successors is the capability<br />
of more recent Windows releases to run a new class of apps, informally known as modern apps<br />
but formally designated as Trusted Windows Store apps. Windows <strong>10</strong> can still run virtually all classic<br />
Windows desktop programs, of course; the new apps add another set of options. Because they’re<br />
optimized for touch and mobile use, they’re easier to use on tablets and hybrid mobile devices. And<br />
because they are distributed through the Windows Store, they’re inherently more secure and easier to<br />
deploy.<br />
This chapter provides an overview of those apps, the new Store common to all Windows <strong>10</strong> editions,<br />
and a new set of capabilities called the Windows Store for Business.<br />
The Universal Windows Platform<br />
Apps originally developed for Windows 8 and 8.1 ran only in full-screen mode or snapped to the side of<br />
a display. In Windows <strong>10</strong>, each modern app, including the built-in Settings app and Microsoft Edge, can<br />
run in its own window and can be pinned to the taskbar. This change in behavior makes the new apps<br />
first-class citizens alongside their classic Windows desktop counterparts.<br />
The first generation of modern apps, built for Windows 8, used an application architecture called<br />
the Windows Runtime (WinRT). With the release of Windows 8.1, that platform was extended to<br />
Windows Phone 8.1, allowing developers to build Universal Windows 8 apps that were separate but<br />
shared a great deal of common code.<br />
With Windows <strong>10</strong> Microsoft introduced the Universal Windows Platform (UWP), a highly evolved<br />
descendant of WinRT that provides a common app platform for every Windows <strong>10</strong> device. Apps built<br />
using the UWP don’t just share code; they run the same code, targeted to different device families.<br />
Some application programming interfaces (APIs) are universal, available on all device families. Child<br />
device families have their own APIs in addition to the universal device APIs. A guide to UWP apps,<br />
published at the Windows Dev Center (http://bit.ly/uwp-guide), is aimed at Windows <strong>10</strong> developers but<br />
offers an excellent overview for IT pros as well.<br />
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