Beginning Windows 8 Application Development

Part I

Introduction to Windows 8 Application Development

• Chapter 1: A Brief History of Windows Application Development
• Chapter 2: Using Windows 8
• Chapter 3: Windows 8 Architecture from a Developer’s Point of View
• Chapter 4: Getting to Know Your Development Environment

Chapter 1

A Brief History of Windows Application Development

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS CHAPTER:

• Understanding how the Windows operating system began, and how it evolved over the past 27 years
• Grasping the different historical tools and technologies that have characterized Windows development
• Perceiving the paradigm shift of Windows 8 and using it for application development
• Getting to know Windows 8 style applications

Windows 8 represents the biggest leap in the entire lifetime of this operating system. It is not simply a new version that updates old capabilities and adds a number of requested and trendy features. But, as Microsoft emphasizes, the operating system has been “re-imagined.” Without knowing where Windows 8 comes from, it is difficult to understand the paradigm shift it brings.

In this chapter, you first learn how the operating system has evolved over the last 27 years, and then you learn about the development technologies and tools as they evolved in tandem with Windows.

The Life of Windows

When the very first version of Microsoft Windows was released on November 20, 1985, it was designed to be geared toward graphical user interfaces (GUIs). Microsoft created Windows as an extra component for ...