Windows 8 Metro Application Development Posts

Why Does It Matter?

Windows 8 Release Preview (formally known as a Release Candidate (RC)) is going to be available early June and you can read about the announcement here.  That means it's one step closer to market, and the necessity of available Metro applications is becoming more of a reality.

Windows 8 brings the Metro design paradigm into full effect.  It's the new next door neighbor of your traditional desktop application.  Are desktop applications going away in Windows 8?  No.  Will they ever go away?  Unlikely.  This is a whole topic in itself, but in brief: Metro adds a new dimension of how users and applications interact.  There will be Metro style applications and there will be desktop applications.  Some desktop applications cannot be Metro style.  My posts will focus on providing the knowledge to build Metro style applications.

Windows is still the largest software ecosystem.  Fan of it or not, in some way, shape, or form, we'll need to embrace it, especially those of us that work on the Microsoft development stack.  Even if you won't be directly affected by it, does it hurt to stay ahead of the curve and learn new skills now rather than play catch up?

Again, my intent is not to convert anyone to Windows 8, Metro application development, or onto the Microsoft development stack.  My intent is to provide those interested or working in Windows 8 and Metro application development with additional knowledge.  Hopefully, if I've done a decent job at communicating my experience, you'll give it a shot, but at the end of the day I'll let the products speak for themselves.

How Will I Help?

The topics that I am choosing to write about, in my opinion, are features or knowledge that will/should be consistent across all - yes I said all - Windows 8 Metro applications, or will be used more often than not in a Windows 8 Metro application.  Additionally, I encourage feedback on what others feel is important and any other areas I can cover.

Some things will be very easy and others will be more complex.  Again, hopefully I do a decent job in communicating.

Again, these posts will not be any particular order, but I will try my best to sequence in the most appropriate order.  As each post is published I will revisit this post and update the topic title to embed the link, and if a topic is broken into multiple posts I will link them as sub items.  Lastly, I am treating this list as alive and will be modified to include or remove topics.

Also, most of my examples will be focused on the JavaScript/HTML5 project templates.  I'll only use the C#/XAML projects when appropriate, I change it up, or anyone specifically asks, but don't push your luck with C++.

Hopefully too, if any of my friends are feeling generous they'll do some celebrity guest appearances on topics.  You'll get to experience a different perspective and expand on topics where I may not be as deep in.  It's a win-win.

Onto the meat and potatoes...

Topics

1. What is Metro & Its User Experience Implications - Post(s) will provide an introduction to the Metro Design language and how it effects user experience.
2. WinRT - Post(s) will provide an introduction to WinRT and how development is streamlined.
3. Windows 8 Contracts: Leveraging Search, Sharing, and Settings - Post(s) will demonstrate how quickly Search, Sharing, and Settings can be integrated into your application and provide a seamless user experience in Windows 8.
4. Building an Application Bar - Posts(s) will explain the purpose of an Application Bar and how to implement one into your application.
5. Roaming - Post(s) will detail how to maximize the user experience of your application by integrating with mobile and traditional web browsing.
6. Leveraging Geolocation & Bing Maps API - Post(s) will demonstrate using Geolocation services to interact with Bing Maps.
7. Live Tiles, Badges, and Toast Notifications - Post(s) will cover how to incorporate Live Tiles, Badges, and Toast Notifications to enrich the user experience and make your application interactive.

What Can You Do?

In the meantime, if you haven't already check out the official development site for Windows 8, dev.windows.com, and download the Windows 8 Consumer Preview and development tools.  Test drive the new OS, read up on the Metro principals, and enjoy!

Lastly, as I've mentioned before, if there are any topics that you're interested in please let me know and I will do my best to address them.  And do not hesitate to reach out with any questions.  It would be beneficial for everyone if the comments section is utilized.  In this format questions and answers are open to everyone.

Cheers!